The Great Desert
by Shadsie
Summary: Dust and magic, swords and guns. Western, Sci-Fi and Fantasy mix. Hyrule has become a vast, spreading desert. A new Link is awakened as the Hero to restore the land's balance with the gun, the blade and his courage. Co-Write with Sailor Lilithchan
1. Child of a Dry World

**Notes for people re-reading this story on the fan-fiction network: I have decided to upload "clean" versions of the chapters (that is, without my previous author's notes). The first chapter is the only exception, as it comes with a new Foreward. The content of the chapters has not changed- they merely are without notes that have become obsolete. **

**As of January, 2010, a few very minor corrections were made regarding typos and continuity errors and a supplemental Timeline was added as an extra chapter. This story tops out at sixteen chapters. The seventeenth is a "bonus track." **

**Disclaimer:** We do not own The Legend of Zelda. No profit is being made from this story, nor is there any intent toward it. Nintendo retains all official rights.

**Foreward: **This story is a co-write between Shadsie and Sailor_Lilithchan, using ideas we have discussed and role played back and forth with each other. This legend is set in an "original Hyrule," a Hyrule we have yet to see – with a new cycle of heroes, princesses and demons. The Hyrule of this tale is meant to exist in a time well after the various eras of all of the canon games. It has its own Timeline specific to the story. Specifically, the "Timeline Split" is ignored and explained-around for the sake of incorporating the universes of games in both the Ocarina of Time-onwards "Child Timeline" and "Adult Timeline" into the history of the Desert Hyrule. This was done on purpose for the sake of telling a good "what if? / Alternate Universe" story with multiple references. This is a Hyrulean Western with some touches of the modern world and science fiction, but, being Hyrule, magic is paramount. While a mix of multiple genres, the tale begins in something of a semi-Modern-Western vein, then progresses more and more into Science Fiction and ends mostly entrenched in typical Zelda High-Fantasy. We hope we made it make sense.

Won't you join us for our tale of dust and magic, swords and guns?

* * *

_The once beautiful land_ _of Hyrule_ _is now covered by the unforgiving sands. Scorched by the heat of the sun, the green lands are scattered and few. Most people have lost faith in the goddesses and in the legends. In this faithless, dry country, it is time for a young man to bring back the peoples' hope – with the Gun, the Blade, and the Courage in his heart…_

* * *

**THE GREAT DESERT**

**A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction by Shadsie and Sailor_Lilithchan**

**Chapter 1: Child of a Dry World**

The young man sat on the highest rail of the worn wood fence, looking out upon the pasture and paddocks, the big red barn, the stable and the hills beyond. The most distant mountains were azure, evidence that they were largely devoid of trees. The hills that rose up in front of them were covered in little scraggly bushes and dry, thorny trees too sparsely spaced to be mistaken for a forest. Cattle of many colors – dun, rust, black and white, mooed and moaned in the shade created by awnings of wood and aluminum. They were accompanied by large blue goats with arching horns that joined at their tops. Tails flicked and ears twitched lazily, chasing away big horseflies.

Locust-song rose on the wind, an incessant buzzing, gentle and loud at the same time. It joined the drone of the old swamp cooler on the side of the main ranch house, which was within Link's range of hearing. The heat settled over everything like a thick wool blanket and he scratched the back of his sweaty neck. Even having his hair in a ponytail didn't help much, but he didn't mind the heat, really. He was used to it, concerning himself instead with the thick-haired goats under his charge. Gobs of blue and gray hair lay all over the paddock from their seasonal shedding.

The sun would be setting soon and he was grateful for the angle of its light, letting his wide-brimmed hat cast a deep shade over his eyes. Link was almost never seen without that hat. It was a strange color – a deep green that looked black in most indoor light. He wore a vest that matched it most of the time, and he liked that because of its pockets. He pulled a harmonica out of one of them and began to play. He felt the heat and the sunlight, the moaning of the livestock and the drone of the locusts thrum through him, into his body, his heart and through his very breath. He played an old song that he'd known since he was a child, a favorite song, an ageless song, a song that spoke of everything that lived in the desert.

This ranch was a little patch of green and life in a largely barren land. In among the houses of the area's residents were tall trees with broad leaves that shimmered in the sun and the west pasture was filled with grass. The beasts were allowed to be in that pasture for only a limited time during the day, to avoid them overgrazing the area. Grass like that was in precious short supply. The cattle and goats were mostly grain-fed, and were penned up in their dusty paddocks. At the moment, the horses were making use of the grass. It was true grass, too, not the prickly weeds of the desert, short-lived after the winter rains.

This land was precious. Link remembered when he was younger, that the green and the trees extended further, covering hills that were now dry. He'd heard tales that the entire world was in this situation, though the farthest place he'd ever been from the ranch was Nabooru Town. He'd pick up a newspaper for his Uncle Russ whenever he went into town, and they listened to the radio at night. There was always news of the desertification becoming worse in one area or another, or, alternately, of some new oasis being found and fought over bitterly.

Old Lady Gwen, who lived in the house by the little orange grove, claimed she used to be a priestess of Nayru. Link grew up on her stories of the way the world used to be. According to her, Hyrule was once filled with green – rich fields and vast forests. She described the "forest" as being like the little groves around Ordona Ranch, only that they covered the mountains and the entire area of the desert around the ranch that Link liked to explore. For his part, Link found the desert full of life – rugged life, ingenious life that managed to defy adversity. There were little desert rats, and the keese that flitted about by night, and the tall cacti that people called the "tall guardians" or "goddess fingers." Lady Gwen contended, however, that Hyrule was not meant to be a desert. According to her, the land was under a curse, or perhaps even a judgment of the goddesses.

Link watched the children of the ranch as he played his song. Off beyond the north paddock, where Lady Gwen's orange grove was, they appeared to be setting up little structures made of stones. Colin stuck a long, white cuckoo feather beside his. Fairy houses… Link took the harmonica away from his lips for a moment. He remembered making those. Colin really was too old for it, he thought. A child of ten should face the fact that no fairy was going to come to him. Link had been captivated by Gwen's stories and the books she'd given him when he was a child. Some of them had to do with the children of the forest and their fairy companions. Link had wanted his own fairy friend so badly. Superstition had it that they lived wherever there were lots of trees or wells of water. Whenever he was finished with his chores, Link used to go to the groves around the ranch and to the ranch's wells and perform all the little rituals that were supposed to summon fairies.

None had ever come to him, and seeing that he was almost eighteen, he figured none ever would. Creatures like fairies didn't exist. Aside from some of the wild creatures of the desert that people commonly called "monsters" – creatures that were always malevolent toward humans and had some clear distinctions from mere animals, Link didn't believe in magic. He believed in the goddesses well enough, which seemed to be an increasingly rare thing in modern times, but he did not believe in the magic that old Gwen liked to talk about. For one thing, he'd never seen any of it in practice. For all of Lady Gwen's bragging about being a priestess of Nayru, she'd never demonstrated any magical abilities. She'd always said she'd served the old Lanayru Temple as a storyteller and record keeper.

For his part, most of Link's prayers were to Farore. He wasn't entirely sure why – maybe it's simply that he felt he needed courage in his life as a rancher. It was often dangerous work – he'd been run over by horses and cattle, and had suffered a broken bone more than once – his ankle one time, his right arm another. The broken arm had happened two years ago and what he'd hated most about it was missing work for months, having to burden others with picking up for him while he healed. He remembered Uncle Russ scolding him for horseback riding with his arm in a sling. No matter how careful one was, nor how well one knew the animals, working here was something that potentially put one's life at risk every day.

Link had certainly needed courage to live without his parents. He'd never really known them, yet he'd missed the very concept of having a mother and father, like his friend Fado, or Cousin Malon. Uncle Russ told him much about them – how his mother was kind and pretty, how his father was the best rider he'd ever seen and a crack shot with both pistol and rifle. Russ had said his father was good with a sword, too, even though the sword was an archaic weapon and swordsmanship largely a lost art.

Link was actually a Link Jr., his father having been Link Ordona Sr. Russ didn't talk about his parents' deaths much. He'd only said that it had happened when Link was still a toddler, one and a half, and that guns had been involved. They'd both died bravely defending the ranch for his future. Russ would say nothing more of it after that, whether the murderers had gotten away, if his parents had been avenged – none of Link's questions had been answered on such matters. What he did know was that their passing was reason Russ gave for never teaching him how to use a gun.

"Your mother's wish for you was to be gentle," Russ had told him. "And revenge benefits no one. There is nothing you or I can do to bring them back. The best you can be, my dear boy, is a man of peace."

Lady Gwen often told him that he had an important destiny. He'd grown up on her stories about heroes and that book Russ had given him about their family line. Everything was so exaggerated in those tales. Link was sure that his and Russ' ancestors had done some very good things for the world, and he was sure that somewhere along the line, their bloodline had connections to the Royal Family – but then again, most families could claim that, if they went back far enough. The Ordona line was a proud one filled with scholars, musicians and military men, as well as humble, common farmers. The tales of great knights who'd battled ancient evils and saved the world were taken as fairy tales. Link's favorite childhood bedtime story was the one about the parallel universe, the time traveling boy, and the falling moon. It was ridiculous to take it as truth, of course.

As far as he was concerned, Link had no finer destiny than running this ranch, taking care of his friends, and the family that he had left. This was one of the last green areas in the world – something to be cared for and defended. Perhaps, one day, they could stave off the shrinking and make it grow. To bring the green back to the land and to defend that which was precious – Link could think of nothing more heroic to do with his life than that. He supposed he'd meet a nice girl in Nabooru Town and start a family one day. Many girls gave him glances when he rode in to get supplies and do business, but he was painfully shy. He didn't rush himself. Life was good as it was right now.

The wind was beginning to pick up. Link could feel a drop in the temperature. The clouds to the north were a deep blue. The air carried a scent of rain. The young man knew what this meant. He jumped down off the fence railing and ran to the paddock where the horses were. Others on the ranch sensed what he did.

"Blue norther!" Russ called out. "Get everything inside, quick!"

Link looked briefly to the horizon. They might already be too late. He saw the brown line that was galloping over the mountains and growing larger. The wind always came first, and with it, dust. Scouring grit and flying objects were always a danger to both beasts and men, and the dust got everywhere, blowing in through the cracks in the wood of the houses and barns. It always came in a wave that could be seen from a distance, but would overtake the observer in an instant. When Link was a child, he used to pretend that the world was ending – for that is what felt like. It still felt like that.

He ran around the paddock, chasing panicking horses with lead ropes. His cousin Malon joined him and, together, they got the horses into the stable. Link was quick to help Russ, Fado and Billy Jack round the goats and cattle up into the barn and one of the out-buildings. He was the last to run inside after his uncle and cousin just as the wind hit.

"Close," Russ commented as Link dusted himself off. The wind howled outside like a merciless beast and grit scoured the glass of the windows, which rattled. "Link, take your hat off, you're in the house."

Link reluctantly removed his hat and hung it on the doorside hook. Uncle Russ was big on old fashioned manners. Link didn't like parting with his hat and didn't see much use in the tradition of one removing one's hat when coming indoors, but it kept Russ happy. The wide-brimmed hat was something he was so used to – like an old friend- and he often forgot about it, as though it were an essential part of him.

The rain began, leaving muddy streaks on the windows as it blew sideways, as fierce as daggers. The electric lights flickered.

"Oh, I hope the power doesn't go out before I get dinner made!" Malon moaned.

"Cold cuts," Russ said. "We'll just have sandwiches; get the cold cuts out of the fridge. We'll probably lose power. You two get the oil lamps and candles."

"Right," Malon said, going upstairs to fetch a lamp from her bedroom.

The power, indeed, was knocked out by the wind. Russ said that he'd call the power company in Nabooru to get it fixed in the morning. Lighting flashed through the windows and the thunder cracked. The three sat at the kitchen table of their little ranch house, eating cold food and talking in the light of a red glass oil lamp.

Link stared up at one of the walls, at a case mounted there. There were two pistols in it, both of a simple, but powerful variety – the same model, in fact, but they looked slightly different to one another. One gun was plain, while the other was engraved with elegant leafy patterns. The engraved one had the old Hylian characters for "L" and "O" on it. That had been his father's gun. The plain gun belonged to Uncle Russ, though Link had never seen the man touch it. Beneath the gun case hung an old sword, tarnished dark with age. It was Link Sr.'s old fencing sword, though it was too broad to be a standard fencing model. It looked like a battle sword from the days of knights. The base of the blade was engraved with ancient letters in a message none of them could read, supposedly a blessing-seal from "the days when people believed in magic," Russ had told Link.

He, Russ, Malon and Lady Gwen were the only "full-blood" Hylians in this ranch-village. There were one or two in Nabooru, but people of pure Hylian decent were rare, especially in this part of the country. Some people said Hylians were special, connected to tales of ancient people with mystical powers – sages and priests. All it meant to Link was that he had funny looking ears. As far as he was concerned, he wasn't any different than anyone else; he was just a person who suffered a genetic anomaly that gave him horse-ears. Some people made fun of his ears, while a few of Nabooru's young women told him, to his embarrassment, that they found them sexy. Link's were longer than most, slightly longer than Russ' and Malon's, even a centimeter or two longer than Gwen's at the tips. The old woman had measured them once, for reasons that Link did not know – she claimed that his ear-length was connected to his "destiny" and "specialness." The royalty he sometimes saw on the black and white television at Fado's house had ears at least as long, if not longer than his.

And it made him feel less weird, but only slightly.

"Stop starin' at them guns," Russ said. "Link, I need you to ride into Nabooru Town tomorrow. I got a call this afternoon from the postmaster. That equipment I ordered is in and I need you to pick it up."

"All right," Link said, taking a drink of milk.

"I'll curry up Rhiannon for you," Malon said.

"Thanks."

* * *

That evening, Link lay on his bed in his upstairs bedroom, in the dark. The thunder crashed and flashes of lightning lit everything in a creepy pallor. He listened to the rain pelting the windows and the sides of the house. No matter how much fell, it would not quench the thirsty earth. There had never been enough rain to bring green to the sands for long. Weeds would spring up after the winter rains only to dry up and catch fire from dry lightning and people's careless campfires. Rains during other times of the year – such as this summer rain, were sporadic and never enough to bring lasting life. The thunder rolled off and Link drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

He'd gotten up, dressed, and ready to go before the sun rose. He watched wild, freetailed kesse flit about in the peach-pink light of pre-dawn as he met Malon in the stable. She had his favorite mare brushed down and saddled. She yawned as she set him off. Link had raised the young horse up from a newborn filly, born here on the ranch. She was a very pretty horse with a balanced build, her body color light and her mane and tail dark. She wasn't buckskin, more like "reverse-palomino" with a lot of red in the mane and tail. She was a Hylian Mustang, a tough breed with a good balance between strength and speed. She would not be able to outpace a Gerudian (the fabled "mother-breed" of all modern horses) and she wouldn't be able to carry a Goron like a Goron Rock Drafter, but she was more than up to the challenge of ranch work.

Link had quite a dilemma in choosing her name. He'd read stories about horse-goddesses and legendary steeds. He narrowed it down to "Epona" and "Rhiannon" and had chosen "Rhiannon" on a whim. He rode her slowly across the desert and up the old hill trail that lead into town. It was a lonely ride that took hours. By the time it was high noon, he knew he was only a little more than halfway there. Ordona Ranch had not made enough money in the last year for any of the families to afford a jeep. By horse, it was a full day's ride, and he didn't plan on staying in town. Link would just get himself some coffee and spend the night riding home after his visit to the post office.

He had not expected to meet an old woman on the trail. She sat on the side of the road, dressed in a brown cloak. Link halted Rhiannon beside her.

"Do you need any help?" he asked, surprised to find anyone out on this lonely trail, at midday, in the summer, let alone an elderly person who did not look at all healthy.

The woman drew the cloak back from her face. The wrap looked uncomfortably warm. "Chill desert night," she said, "in that rain… I guess I forgot to take it off."

Link was absolutely puzzled. Perhaps she was addled in the head. It was a sad condition that happened to many people as they grew older. The young man's heart was filled with pity. The woman's face was etched in deep wrinkles, crow's feet and a deep brow-furrow for care, laugh lines for joy. Her eyes had a certain clarity to them and her hair was quite unusual. Green hair was not unknown to him, but it wasn't very common and he'd not seen a shade so bright, yet somehow, something about the roots of it told him that it was natural. It was speckled with strands of white.

"Are you headed to town?" Link asked cautiously, "I can take you there. My mare can carry two, easily."

"No thanks, mah boy," the woman answered. "All I need is a little snack. Have you any food to spare for an old woman?"

"Uh… sure," Link answered. He dismounted and drew some crusty bread and hard cheese from one of his saddlebags. It was to be his lunch, but he didn't mind. He was carrying enough paper rupees in the wallet in his jeans pocket to buy something in town if he grew hungry enough.

"Bless you," the woman said. "Sit down. Share it with me."

"There's only enough for one. Go… Go ahead, you take it."

"Nonsense. There is plenty."

Link sat down on the road across from the woman. He decided that maybe what she really wanted wasn't food, but companionship. She had lonely eyes.

"You have a good heart," she said, handing him a piece of cheese on a slice of bread, "and you're smart. You know that you should always help an old person."

Link blinked. Before them and between them lay a grand feast. It was even grander than last year's Day of Thanks at Ordona Ranch. There was a beef roast and glazed fowl, an enormous pig's head, a tray of tacos, rows of buttered corn, pumpkins, and some vegetables he'd never seen before. It laid spread out upon beautiful cloths of many colors with triangle designs in gold stitching.

"Go ahead, eat!" the woman said, "I told you there was enough."

"How is this possible?" Link asked. "I'm dreaming, aren't I? I got dazed by the sun. I'm collapsed in the desert, dying of heat stroke and this is all a dream, right?"

The woman slowly shook her head. For a moment, Link thought she looked younger, like a little girl with bright green hair and a bright smile, with lush trees and leaves behind her, and with something glowing hovering beside her In an instant, the vision was gone and the old woman remained.

"Eat and gain strength," the woman encouraged. Link, for reasons unknown to him, reached for the strange, steaming, spiderlike thing he saw on a plate before him before taking anything else. He assumed it was an animal, but he had never seen anything remotely like it before. He snapped off one of its legs and put it in his mouth. It was hard and tough to chew.

"Like this," The woman instructed. She snapped a leg off the creature and cracked it open. "The meat's in here. That's a crab."

Link followed her lead and ate. "It's good. Why haven't I seen anything like this before?"

"It is because they come from the ocean," the woman said.

"I thought the ocean was all dried up."

After eating his fill, still convinced that he was dreaming, Link got up to resume his journey to Nabooru. The remains of the feast inexplicably disappeared.

"What is your name?" Link asked the woman.

She paused for a few moments before answering. "I am…" she said, "I am Sarah Willow. It is not my true name, but it is close enough. And yours, young man?"

"My name is Link," Link answered, "Link Ordona…Jr."

"Link…. Significant of connection. A fine, strong name. A brave name. A name I've known. Fare thee well, Link Ordona."

Link mounted Rhiannon. "Are you sure you don't want a ride into town?" he called.

She was already walking away, down the trail. Link turned around and began to follow her, but she had vanished. He shook his head and continued his minor mission. He'd heard stories about spirits and old hermits that lived in the desert. It was said that they had magical powers, but Link didn't believe in all that. It was silly to believe in such superstitions these days. Those that did became prey to the swindling rainmakers and snake oil salesmen. Link still believed in the Goddesses, but he knew to be wary of the Goddess Preachers and their traveling shows. What he saw must have been from the heat, he concluded. He was pretty tired. Still, as he rode, he felt very full.

* * *

It was near dusk when he made it into Nabooru. He took some milk at the Golden Coyote bar. He requested a beer, but the proprietor knew who he was and that he was underage. He met (and did his best to avoid) the usual flock of local female admirers. He jumped when Betty snuck up behind him and stroked his right ear. She apparently hadn't been listening to her daddy about manners.

Intent on his task, he made it to the post office, signed for Uncle Russ' package, and loaded it onto his hitched mare. He was about to mount up and head home when he heard a commotion in a side street.

"Comin' with us, pretty girl, whether you like it or not!"

"No! Stop, please! I can't!"

"The bounty on you will make us richer than kings!"

"Hey, boss, maybe we should have a little pleasure first? Pretty little thing!"

Link ran down the side street. He stopped when he saw a gun pointed at his chest. Three men were surrounding a rather petite young woman with short black hair. All of the men were large, rough, and mildly drunk-looking. One of them held the young woman tightly by the wrist. Her cheek was bruised and she had the beginnings of a black eye.

"What are you doing?" Link demanded, knowing that it was possibly a suicidal thing to say, being unarmed with a gun pointed at him.

"Whatever we want, boy!" the gunman said. "You'd best run on home to your daddy, unless you wanna get shot."

"What cause do the three of you have to be harassing this girl?" Link asked. "You're all armed, and she doesn't look like a threat to you. I think you're going to do terrible things to her, and I can't let that happen."

To Link's sudden surprise, the girl cried out to him. "Don't call the cops!" she yelped. "Help me, but don't call the police!"

The way Link figured it was too late to call the police, anyway. The deputies in Nabooru Town weren't exactly good. He knew he'd never depend on them to save his life. The town was such a sleepy place. Only the sheriff himself carried a firearm, the rest of the force being armed only with clubs. Most of the time, they could be found drunk at the Golden Coyote. In any case, if he called for help, by the time they got here, both he and the girl would probably be dead, or worse, so Link decided upon his move.

Quick as wink he ducked, slid in the dirt, and gave the man with the gun trained on him an uppercut to the jaw. He grabbed the man's wrist, twisted it until he heard a crack, and kicked the dropped gun away. The other men fired at him and the girl got loose and ran. Link ducked again, and for reasons he was unsure of, picked up the first thug's gun as he chased the girl. Together, they ran out into the main street.

"Hurry!" Link said. "On my horse!"

The young man made haste to untie Rhiannon and to help the girl onto the saddle. "Hang on tight!" he commanded. "We can lose those guys in the desert!"

Link kicked his horse hard. He would apologize to the poor beast later. The stars were out by the time Link decided they were not being followed.

"You aren't hurt, are you?" He asked the young woman who was seated behind him and hanging onto his stomach for dear life.

"N-no," she managed.

"Good."

"Are you?" she asked gently.

"No." he assured. "Confused, weirded-out…. Yeah, but not hurt. I'm fine."

He wondered, briefly, if the gun he'd hastily stuck in his belt had any ammunition left in it. It was an idle thought, perhaps born of the fear that they could be ambushed by those men at any second.

"That was very brave back there," the girl said.

"If there's one thing I can't stand," Link answered, "It's rapists. Takin' a woman's honor like that…"

"You're shivering. And no…. I…. well, I really don't know. I don't know if they wanted that of me."

"Then why were they after you? And you didn't want me to get the police…. They're worthless in Nabooru, anyway, but… You definitely aren't one of the local girls."

"I can't go back!" the girl cried. "Please… you have to hide me. People… dangerous people are searching for me."

"Alright," Link said hesitantly. "I have to wonder what you did to piss people off, but something tells me I should trust you. You don't seem like the criminal type, I guess. What's your name, by the way? Mine is Link."

"Link…." The girl whispered, almost in awe."

"Yeah? I know, it's a funny name."

"No, it's just…."

"Yeah?"

"Nevermind. My name is…. My name is Zelda."

"Oh!" Link said, "Like the Royal Family's youngest princess! How cute! I suppose a lot of people named their daughters Zelda the year she was born."

"Yes."

"You can…. Stay with me and my uncle. We live in the old Ordona Province, though it's just a ranch now, my family ranch."

"I'd like that, if you can?"

"You'll have to work, though. Everyone on the ranch works, even the kids. We'll find something for you to do. You can stay until the heat's off, or…whatever. As long as you like. We can always use another ranch hand."

"Yeah. I'd like that very much….Link."

Link rode on into the night, toward the horizon that would lead him home. Zelda fell asleep against him.

* * *

End Chapter 1.

Turn to the Next.


	2. Child of Royal Birth

**THE GREAT DESERT**

**Chapter 2: Child of Royal Birth**

_**Three Years Ago… **_

The winds around Arbiter's Grounds whipped fierce enough to flay flesh from bone. The borrowed steed, Gerudo bred with its shaggy fur and long-lashed eyes, was the only horse capable of navigating the Haunted Wasteland. The figure on its back, cloaked in rough material, looked rather less capable. They had no experience in tracking and they struggled to keep a body-sized wrapped bundle on the front of the saddle. If the creatures of the wasteland cared to listen, they would have noticed that the bundle would occasionally whimper.

Inside the bundle of cloth, Daphne, the young regent, sobbed without tears. It had been a day since she had been grabbed from her private bedchambers and her kidnapper obviously deemed water a privilege. "Please," she begged again. "Let me go. My daughters will be worried about me."

The bundle shifted as the rider navigated what must have been a rocky stretch of road. A small hand for the size of the rider steadied the bundle. "You don't want to die here or spill blood," the voice muffled by the cloth of the facemask and bundle said. "I need every drop in your body."

This comment shocked Daphne into silence. Why would she be killed? There was no reason not to ransom her. She was valuable, the queen of all races in the kingdom. "But why?" she asked.

"Because," the rider said, "All things begin with a sacrifice." The rider pulled back the cloth. "Okay, Your Highness," the figure said mockingly. "We're here."

The winds of the first desert whipped so fiercely so that they kicked up sparks. The figure narrowed their eyes. "All things that have a beginning will always have an ending," they said quietly to no one in particular.

But Daphne heard. "You don't have to do this."

"But I do…"

* * *

_The storm had no beginning and end. _

_There was no rain save from a slight mist that dried up before it hit the ground, leaving a ragged edge to each cloud._

_The young man stood beneath the storm, a sword flickering like a blue flame in his hand, a fairy with lace-like wings at his side. The fairy darted from side to side, a halo of blue light hiding the features of her body and making her look rather like a tennis ball with wings. _

_The dark man stood at the top of a cliff, a glowing orb in his head, a cruel smile on his face. _

_She peered through the pelting raining as he looked into the distance. _

"_The time has come, Princess Zelda," he said._

"_No," she murmured quietly as the young man raised his sword, power began to sweep around it, darkening the air. The glowing waves of plasma burned bright red around the shining blade. "It will never come."_

"_The cycle will be broken," the dark man said, a smirk growing across his face. "You and I know that this has gone on long enough."_

"_It is never enough," she promised. "You and I know that this battle will go long as the world exists."_

"_True," the dark man said, "But what happens when it ends?"_

"_I don't know," Zelda said, "But anything is better than this."_

"_I thought so…" He turned away. "Well then, enjoy your crumbling world."_

* * *

Zelda woke up, her sweaty hair plastered to her face. Her heart hammered in her chest so hard that she was surprised it hadn't drilled past her breastbone to pound out helplessly against her skin. Another bad dream. Another warning. She knew without a doubt this meant she had done the right thing.

She fumbled for the light and hooked her fingers around the cheap chain. Then, instantly, the too bright light flooded the room and she regretted it quite a bit. The wallpaper was green and yellow striped, badly peeling too, exposing the plaster and studs below. Paired with the even brighter yellow ceiling and brown carpet, it gave one the feeling of being in a circus tent. How had she gotten herself in such a situation? Was it right? Was she right?

Automatically, she looked at the side table to make sure the items she had secreted away from the castle storeroom were still there. The Book of Mudora, the only guide to the ancient language of Hyrule, lay in its tattered silk binding; its hide pages worn by the touch of many fingers. The real treasure was on top in a plain wooden box. It had surprised Zelda to find such a precious artifact in a forgotten closet. She had figured that something as valuable would be locked in a safe.

She peered out the window. The sun was beginning to peep over the horizon, painting the edge of the sky a slight rose pink with peachy tones. The town still looked the same, cobbled from scrap wood, metal, and boulder like stone. It was still better than the place she had been only three days.

Three days, that seemed like an eternity.

* * *

Zelda had tried not to wince when she was referred to as the Grand Duchess of Lake Hylia, a mostly dried up hole filled with dank, stagnant water. Cecelia, as usual preened at the cameras, showing off her status as Princess Royal. She had the looks for it, the swan to Zelda's raven. Her middle oldest sister Anya stayed to the side, eyeing Cecelia's preening with a bit of distaste. "She isn't even named Zelda," she mumbled. "It's not like she's the Princess with fame."

As soon as Zelda could detangle herself from the crowd of Cecelia's onlookers, she joined the one sister she felt she could trust at the place. "This must be why Kara left."

"Actually," Anya said, "I believe it was our mother's death and the fact that Cecelia threw a fit anytime anyone tried to paint mom's portrait."

"Well, why?"

"Because, she wasn't royalty, but because she was one of the many descendants of the Hero of Winds, she was allowed to become a Princess."

Zelda frowned. She didn't even remember what her mother looked like. Kara and Anya were always there so there seemed to be no need to remember. And Cecelia? The less said about her, the better. Suddenly, her side throbbed as if someone had pinched her.

"Not a word," Cecelia hissed as she slid passed her, brandishing the two fingers she used to pinch her youngest sister, a sweet smile on her face nonetheless.

* * *

It was a triangle of shining gold a little bigger than the stretch of her hand, turning in midair. If one looked closer, they would see first lines of blue opal running through it in shining bands. Looking deeper would reveal the tumbling foam topped waves of an endless sea, a wellspring of the Goddess Nayru's wisdom. Zelda approached the object slowly, respectfully. One had to greet the Triforce of Wisdom with dignity and grace. She was a lady after all.

She bowed low. "I come before you as a servant of Nayru."

The Triforce was silent for a long time. Zelda almost feared that perhaps the magic had dried up enough to render the Triforce piece mute. Finally, the piece of wisdom began to speak.

"_You are her warrior, never a spirit. Child, we are glad that you can still hear our calls."_

Zelda scuffed the floor with one of her court slippers. "It was a little hard," she confessed. "I'm sorry."

"_It is us that are at fault. We are weak now, our wellspring run dry. It would take little to dry up._"

"But you are the eternal waters!" she cried out in dismay cupping her hands to her mouth.

"_That which is eternal can die. The waters dry, the forests crumple, and the flames die. You see this, do you not?_"

Visions came before Zelda's mind's eye, flickering memories. The desert. The dry bones of some unfortunate herdbeast in the desert. Waterfalls rendering mountains low over eons… That dream she'd had of a strong young man coughing, sweating, burned down with plague-fever, begging to stay in the infirmary because he didn't want to die in the bed where they'd made love – and of herself, alone, cold, sitting in a dimly-lit room staring at her wrinkled hands, her adult son reading her a tale about the ocean as the rain fell outside the window… events she had not lived in this life, things she was yet too young to live.

… She was there for the ocean in her dreams, the endless ocean, but did not watch it dry. Zelda trusted her dreams. They felt so real that she sensed that they were windows to other lives lived – something that she'd only recently began to awaken to. She hung her head before the Triforce of Wisdom.

"Even Goddesses die?"

"_Everything is eventual. Fading is inevitable in this age of doubt. There is hope, my child, for you are not the only one to be reborn." _

"So it is true," Zelda stated flatly, knowingly, "I have lived those lives. The dreams are memories resurfacing. The cycle has begun again. And that means…"

"_He that sits upon the throne is the true tyrant, reborn through blood. Hold out your hand, child. I will give you the last of my power, as is fitting. To restore the balance, you must find he who is missing." _

Zelda held forth her right hand. "You mean the Hero."

"_You shall know him by his courage, young one, as always, although in this age, he shall carry much doubt." _

"Thank you," Zelda said at last, bowing her head. She felt the Triforce enter her like a cool breeze through her bones. It rested within her and joined to her. She felt as though reunited with an old friend.

* * *

_**Three Years Ago… **_

_Drip, drip, drip… _

There was a crack in the endless white ceiling, a red crack that grew and grew.

_Drip, drip, drip…_

The droplets dripped down from it, spattering upon his spirit. The crack grew wider and the droplets turned into drops. The liquid smelled of rust. It smelled of gold, of State, of power. It did not smell of leaves, or of sweat, or of steel.

_Drip, drip, drip…_

His lips were still desert-dry, as they always had been. He let the drops fall upon his lips and upon his tongue. He drank them in and felt strength flow through him. Someone had died today. Someone had died today to give him life – like grain that died to feed beasts and the beasts that died to feed the masses. The cycle was coming back around again and Power was calling to him.

More life-giving drops… they tasted so good. The blood of Heroes tasted better, but the blood of royalty had a wonderful sweetness. While a Hero was more filling, royalty was "wetter" somehow, more quenching. He groped blindly toward the crack. He could pry it open and come out on the other side now.

Ganondorf found himself sluggish, propped up upon a throne in a dimly lit room. He blinked, having just come through the light. An iron taste rested on his lips. He was aware that he was clothed in silken robes. He was there, but he struggled to draw in breath. His chest was still, dead.

He heard a voice. He could not tell if it belonged to a male or a female. "Eat," it said, "to restart yours."

A hand from the darkness thrust a silver plate toward him. Upon it, seated in dark blood and glistening, was a heart. Its major arteries and veins had been cut free. It was limp, very dead, but fresh. By its size, its owner had been a human – or a Hylian. Ganondorf willed his right hand to work. He grabbed the organ and began tearing into it with his strong teeth. Even the blood that flowed over his chin and neck imparted him strength.

The chamber he was in was as black as a moonless night. He knew not where, exactly, he was, only that the air smelled of the desert. He was home.

* * *

Nabooru was a quiet town and one of the towns furthest from central Hyrule. It lay on the very edge of the empire, close to the dreaded stretch of land called the Endless Desert, which had once been the Calatian Sea. Almost everywhere in Hyrule could be called "endless desert," but the salty, deep, ancient former seabed was particularly dangerous. It was said that there were pools of water to be found in its heart, but they would kill anyone who tried to drink from them.

Zelda was not planning to venture there, but she knew that she had to keep moving. She checked herself out of the dingy hotel she'd been staying in and wandered through the streets hoping to find shops that carried things she needed for her travels. She winced, remembering her stay in Mido when she tried to convince a general store salesman that she was an experienced camper, yet wound up being led around the store like a child with the shopkeeper explaining the use of various items to her. She would have wiped the smug smile off his face if he'd taken the archery equipment off the wall for her – oh, she knew how to use that, though she might have given away her royal grace if she'd given him a demonstration.

She'd moved quickly. In fact, last night was the first good sleep she'd had since she'd left the palace, waking from a bad dream aside. Zelda knew that she had to pace herself – it would do her no good to become completely exhausted. According to a report on the little black and white television with the scratchy signal that had been in her hotel room, she was already missed. Of course, the file photo displayed showed her in formal dress and with long hair. Cecelia made a big show about missing her royal sister and disruption in the court. She emphasized the need for the runaway to be brought back home. If she was caught, however, Zelda knew that her life was forfeit. The sense that her life was in danger was part of what had spurred her to become a fugitive. If she went back to the palace now, she knew that she would have an "accident," or else be found in her quarters, the victim of "suicide" and speeches would be given for the news reporters about her "troubled mind."

And, of course, there was that vivid nightmare she'd had just over a month ago regarding her late mother.

Where she'd go next, she did not know. She thought of Rarau, but did not know if it was remote enough. People would begin to recognize her sooner or later. After all, her face was on the new edition of the two-rupee bill issued a year ago, as rarely used as that denomination was. Perhaps, if she was lucky, she could make it to Old Kakariko. The last she'd heard, her former Impa, Adelaide, was living there. Sometimes, Adelaide's title, "Impa" had been mistaken for her name, particularly by those unfamiliar with the royal protocol and ancient traditions. "Impa" had once been the simple name of an ancient person – now it was a general title that meant a combination of "teacher," "personal bodyguard" and "nanny." Cecelia had up and decided, rather recently and suddenly, that Zelda was too old to have an Impa and dismissed her from the royal service. That was the first sign that something was shady…

Dusk was falling. Zelda still hadn't found everything she felt she needed, but she decided she should get moving. Travel by night was inconspicuous, though, truth be told; she had a bit of fear. Open desert lay in all directions and she knew that most of the wild creatures that lived there were active at night. She knew that she'd frighten most of them away just by being human, but there were aggressive beasts… and poisonous ones. She'd been noticing an increase in dark creatures out in the open country, monsters. It was, no doubt, because their master had been elected to the throne – and, according to Wisdom now, he did not merely carry the ancient name, but was the tyrant true.

Zelda walked down a side street and felt a meaty hand clamp itself over her mouth. "You're coming with us, pretty one," a strong voice said.

She bit down, but it seemed her captor felt no pain. She jutted her elbow out, into his chest, only to have her arm wrenched back behind her so hard she felt like her shoulder was about to come out of its socket. She saw two other men, armed with pistols.

"Let me go!" she demanded.

"Excuuuse me, princess, but we cannot," said one of the men with a chuckle. "Your family's gonna pay us plenty fer ya, and that's just not an opportunity a bunch a' poor guys like us can pass up."

The third man smiled – leered – at her, with teeth stained by spit tobacco. "Comin' with us, pretty girl, whether you like it or not!"

"No! Stop, please! I can't!"

"The bounty on you will make us richer than kings!"

"Hey, boss, maybe we should have a little pleasure first? Pretty little thing!"

Zelda's heart beat faster, fluttering in fear. They knew who she was; they wouldn't – to a royal - would they? The looks of these men told her they would. She fought and jerked but her arms were pinned firm. One of the men punched her in the face.

"Stop yer squirmin!"

Inwardly, Zelda searched, hoping that the Triforce of Wisdom would let her know what to do. As it was, she could not run and she was fit to get shot if got herself free. The sad thing was that she knew Cecelia would pay out the bounty on her dead and just claim she was a traitor for the cameras. Her sensitive ears caught the sound of booted footsteps running into the street. Oh, Goddesses, some poor innocent person was going to get shot!

The young man immediately halted and stood still. He started at her and the men. Zelda felt the grip on her wrists shift. Her captor held one tightly and painfully as he pulled the revolver from his hip and cocked it, pointing it at the stranger.

"What are you doing?" the young man demanded. He did not run. Zelda, frightened and astonished, looked upon him. He was unarmed and had the nose of a gun pointed right for his heart and he just stood right there, his eyes set like steel.

Zelda's captor said something else, but she didn't pay attention to his words. The young man responded angrily. "What cause do the three of you have to be harassing this girl? You're all armed, and she doesn't look like a threat to you. I think you're going to do terrible things to her, and I can't let that happen."

This boy was either very brave or very stupid – and Zelda was awash in gratitude. They did not know each other, yet he cared about her welfare. He spoke like a noble knight, or like someone who wanted to be one. Maybe he was going to get shot to death in a moment, but such courage was a rare thing these days.

A single thought echoed through her mind: _"You shall know him by his courage." _

Suddenly, Zelda felt a sense of trust and she shouted to the young man: "Don't call the cops! Help me, but don't call the police!"

Everything happened quickly after that. The young man ducked and whirled, catching the three thugs off-guard. He seized Zelda's captor by the wrist, freeing her. Zelda did the only thing she knew she could do – she ran. Instantly, the young stranger was at her side, commanding her to get on his horse. He led her to a beautiful animal, helped her on and yanked the reins free of the hitching post it was tied to. He landed in the saddle like a sack of bricks and kicked the poor beast into a hard run.

Zelda clutched her arms around the young man's middle very tightly and pressed herself into his back. She had experience in horseback riding, but she was not used to moving this swiftly. She jounced in the saddle hard and feared she'd slip off. She only loosened her grip when her savior's grunts indicated that she was cutting off his breath. She noticed his ears beneath the brim of his hat. That was rare… he was a trueblood Hylian, just like her.

They spoke rather breathlessly. Zelda assured the man that, aside from the bruise on her face, she was unharmed. She praised his bravery and noticed that he was shivering, just a little, against her. It wasn't a shiver caused by cold. She sensed that it was born of anger – revulsion at the men who'd held her.

He spoke of his home, a little ranch out in the middle of nowhere. He offered her a place there, for as long as she needed. They exchanged names. It was to Zelda's relief that he didn't immediately know who she was when she gave him her real name. Something in her trusted him enough to share her true name – she figured she would have to reveal it to him eventually, anyway. As it was, the boy thought it was a common name – something that many people named their daughters in the year of her birth.

And his name… was Link.

That wasn't significant alone. Link was an uncommon name for humans and Hylians, but it wasn't unheard of. It was surprisingly common among the Goron tribes. Investigations by historians held that several men by the name of Link – sometimes by given name, sometimes by surname - had been integral in establishing the monarchy of Hyrule. The name was connected to the Hero legends that few people believed were full truth anymore, but not all of the legendary Heroes' names had ever been written down. Some of the translations from the old stories had "Rin" or "Rinku" as a heroic name. There was also the female variant; Linette.

But… Link. Zelda knew that name… she felt she had known it – and this young man – all her life. He had proven that he was courageous. The Triforce of Wisdom had not let her down.

Zelda leaned against his back, exhausted. For the first time in days, she felt safe.

* * *

End Chapter 2.

Turn to the Next.


	3. Power and Price

**THE GREAT DESERT**

**Chapter 3: Power and Price**

_**Seventeen Years, Eight Months Ago…**_

The crying that had been echoing throughout the two-story farmhouse had died down. Russell Ordona sat on a comfortable chair outside a bedroom door. His wife was outside with his daughter, showing the girl his brother's two horses. He'd taken a leave from his work as part of the Royal Guard to offer assistance to his brother and his sister in law. Link's expected child had been born today and Russell could not wait to see his new niece or nephew.

He'd brought his wife and his little girl out to Link's house in Darunia. He and Darla were going to help Link and Grace out with the housework while Grace recovered and everything got settled. He didn't know how much help young Malon would be, but she tried, and her bouncy personality brought smiles to everyone. Like Russ, Link worked in the Royal Guard, but, unlike him, had taken something of a partial retirement. While Russell was active duty, Link held a position that was more like being in the National Guard – he was called to the palace when extra soldiers were needed, but was otherwise free to pursue his crazy idea of trying to grow crops in the scorched Darunian mountain soil. Link had actually been quite successful in his venture, growing drought-resistant plant species and inventing new and interesting ways to manage water. Some of his techniques were becoming popular throughout Hyrule.

Russ' ears twitched as the door opened softly. Link emerged carrying a small bundle in a blanket. His face looked strangely grim.

"Is Gracie okay?" Russell asked in worry.

"She's okay," his younger brother answered. "She's asleep. The midwife is watching over her."

"The baby… is the baby alright? Your face, Link…"

Link gave Russell a weak smile. "I want to talk with you about him, alone," he said, "You may hold him, if you'd like."

"So… it's a boy," Russ said, holding his arms out to receive the wrapped and slightly squirming bundle. The child fussed, making little noises of annoyance and screwing his eyes shut against the light. Russell had always wondered why people thought newborn babies were "cute." They were pink, tender and had shriveled up little faces… to him; they looked like wrinkled little monkeys. In his eyes, children got "cute" later.

"Ssh, ssh," Russell soothed, sitting back down in the chair. He held his new nephew close and bobbed him up and down gently with the arms of an experienced father. "Welcome to the world…eh?"

"Link. Link Jr."

"Ah. You and Gracie agree on that name?"

"Of course. There aren't too many 'Links' in the world. We'd figured it could use one more."

Link Jr. squirmed and writhed enough to free his hands from the soft blanket enveloping him.

"He's already pretty strong!" Russ exclaimed, "For just being born."

"Oh, he came chargin' out," Link Sr. said, his face going a little pale. "Maybe I shouldn't have been in there to watch it, but I had to be there for Grace. The labor was quick, according to Doc Kuro. It seems he was eager to be born. Maybe he knows the world is gonna need him."

"Huh?" Russ asked, puzzled.

Link Jr.'s left hand flailed up and caught the sunlight. Russell's eyes went wide. He laid the child gently down upon his lap so that he could take the tiny hand between the thumb and forefinger of one of his own. The child let out a short, cracked wail as Russ gingerly manipulated the hand to get a good look at it.

"You see it," Link Sr. stated.

"Are you sure it won't fade with time? It could be just a bruise or a non-permanent birthmark."

"Look at it, Russ!" his brother insisted, "Perfect symmetry, even with the 'missing piece' in the middle. It's a perfect Royal Crest… a perfect Triforce mark! Look closely! The triangle mark on the lower right… it's a bit lighter than the others, isn't it? I think he's got the Triforce of Courage in him, Russell."

"Have some sense!" Russell demanded, "That's all superstition!"

"Then why did Mom and Dad feel it important to name me after the Hero of Winds? They believed in the legends. Maybe the fabled deeds our ancestors did weren't all exaggeration. The legends all kind of add up, don't they? And they say that in times when the Hero is born with a piece of the Triforce already residing in him, the coming of great evil is immediate." Link paced the floor, his eyes on his brother and his son. His face had an immensely sad cast to it. He shivered lightly. "To think that my firstborn is an agent of chaos."

Russell stood and handed Link Sr. his child. "Don't think that," he said gently. "He is your son. That is what he should be to you, nothing more, nothing less."

Link closed his eyes and held little Link close to his chest. "Evil will hunt him," he said softly. "I need to protect him for as long as I can. I know a Gerudo who is skilled in the art of ancient, traditional tattoos. I will get the same mark he has. In this way, perhaps evil will come to me instead of to him, at least until it is his time."

"Don't speak so grimly, little brother. I'm sure you are worrying needlessly and that he will live a nice, normal life. I already know that you'll make a terrific father."

* * *

A loud and wild sound awakened Zelda from her light slumber. Immediately she was aware of the gentle motion of a horse beneath her and the sensation of a warm body next to her. Link's shoulders shifted beneath her cheek.

The noise sounded again and Zelda startled. "Huh? What is that?" she asked groggily.

"It's the wolf," Link said casually. "We're almost home. He's been hanging around for the past month or so, over out on that ridge." He pointed to a butte that was bathed in the pale pink light of the emerging dawn. "At least I think it's a wolf. Uncle Russ says it's probably a coyote, but I think he looks too big and the pitch of his howl is off for a coyote. They sound more like a baby crying. I hope it's a wolf – they're rare, so it's nice to know that one feels safe sharing land with us. It's quite a compliment."

"You aren't afraid he's going to go after your livestock or anything?"

"Nah. He always stays far away over there. If he wanted any of our animals, he'd probably have made his move by now."

He added; "You slept some. I'm glad. You felt so tense, though… I suppose you would, after what you've just been through, but are you alright?"

"Yes," Zelda replied. "I'm alright. Thank you."

They rode down into the little green-patched valley that was Ordona Ranch. Link yawned as he got Rhiannon into her stall in the stable and gave her a flake of hay and a small bucket of oats. Zelda stood aside patiently, admiring the views and savoring the scent of horses. She'd always rather liked the smell of horses. Her nose wrinkled, however, when she caught other smells off the main pens of the ranch – goat-smell and cattle-reek, the former mostly from hair and hide oils, the latter mostly from their manure. Such aromas were not often pleasant to people unused to them.

Link chuckled slightly upon seeing Zelda's face. "You'll get used to it," he assured. "To me, it smells like home. Everyone does seem to be a little…robust…today."

He gathered up the package he'd had tied to Rhiannon's saddle and led Zelda to the ranch house that was his home. He gently entered, not wishing to awaken anyone who might still be asleep, though he knew with the hours kept on the ranch that it was unlikely that anyone would be. Just as he'd predicted, Russ was up at the stove hovering over a skillet full of scrambled eggs. He did not look up at either Link or Zelda. He simply yawned.

"Got my package okay, kid?" he asked. "Just set it on the table. Didn't expect you back so soon. You must have ridden all day and night. You can have the day off today to rest up. You feed Rhiannon already?"

"Yeah. Russ, I…"

"I'll tell Malon that Rhiannon's taken care of. Want some eggs?"

"Uncle Russ, we have a houseguest… of sorts. She doesn't have anywhere to go and she says she'll work, I hope that's alright…"

Russ looked up and startled. "Oh!" he exclaimed, "Oh! I'm so sorry, miss."

"That's… that's alright," said Zelda hesitantly. "I really don't wish to impose… I'll sleep out in the barn if you need me to."

"We can't do that to a lady. You can take Link's room. He can sleep on the couch."

"Huh? That seems so…"

"I'll be okay," Link said. "I was planning on that, anyway. My room is nice, I'm sure you'll like it."

"Don't worry," Russ said with a smile. "We've taken in folks before. You can stay here as long as you work hard and you may leave at any time. Link's got a good intuition about people, so I trust you. I'm afraid we can't pay you much. May I ask your name, miss?"

"I'm Zelda."

"Ah, like the youngest princess. It's a nice name. Link here's named after a string of fabled heroes, but we don't let it go to his head. I'll make you a nice breakfast and my daughter Malon can show you around."

"Thanks, sir."

"Call me Russ."

Russ began plating eggs and toast. He suddenly dropped his plate on the floor and stared at Link. He dove for the young man and ripped the gun that he'd had stowed in his belt away, flicked the chamber open and the bullets out of it, and slammed it down on the kitchen table.

"LINK DAPHENES ORDONA!" he roared, "WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?"

Link shrank a little and his ears drooped. He looked to the floor and toed it with his left boot like a guilty child. "You don't understand, Uncle Russ," he said meekly, "Zelda was attacked by a group of vicious men and I helped her get away. One of the toughs dropped this so I thought I'd pick it up in case they chased us and we needed prote-"

"Enough," Russ said, leaning over the table and shaking his head. "How many times have I told you… you don't need this kind of protection. If this thing has been implicated in any crimes… well, your fingerprints are all over it now, but that's beside the point. This stuff is dangerous… very dangerous. You shoot someone with a gun, they die. You need to be a man of peace, Link. It's what I've raised you to be..."

"Uncle, you're being ridiculous! I didn't even shoot it! I just thought I needed something to scare those idiots off… If I had to, I probably could have winged them! Besides, didn't you and my father used to be gunmen, lawmen? And Dad had a sword, too! Yet you won't train me for either of those! Wouldn't my father have wanted to pass down his skills?"

"Link," Russ said in a strained voice, "Your father… Listen. I know I try not to talk about the past too much, so I'll just leave it at this, what I've told you time and time again: You don't want to see the things that I've seen. You don't want to go through that, trust me. I know you make a show of being brave and all, but you don't need my life, or your father's life. You need your own life and I made a promise to my brother that it would be a good one."

Zelda watched the family drama unfold before her in silence. She held a hand to her mouth and just looked on.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Zelda," Russ said, "That was very rude. I'm very sorry about that."

"He did save me," Zelda said firmly. "There were three gunmen and they'd found me in the street in Nabooru. They were going to do… something terrible… to me. Your nephew came along and stood up to them. I honestly don't know how he did it – they were all armed and he wasn't, but he managed to sucker-punch the leader so I could get away. He was exceptionally brave, Mr. Russ. I don't think he was going to do anything bad with that gun – he was merely concerned with protecting me."

"Well," Russ sighed, cleaning what would have been his breakfast off the floor, "I can't say that I'm thrilled with my nephew risking his life so, but I am glad that his sense of honor is intact. We'll have some breakfast, get to know each other a little and then we can give you a proper welcome."

* * *

_**Seventeen Years Ago… **_

Officer Russell Ordona had been riding for days. He did not know how it had come to this and he tried to trace the chain of events that had led to him, with a posse, riding through the Goddess-forsaken country known as the Lost Hills in search of his brother, now the most wanted man in Hyrule.

The terrain could only be traversed on foot or horseback, and horseback was much safer. The rocks seemed to shift and move. Russ was certain they'd passed by that great boulder that looked like a ram's head at least three times. It was easy to get lost in this country, hence its name of the Lost Hills. Superstitions surrounded the area. There were old men that said the place was enchanted and that the stones and bushes moved of their own accord to entrap those not wise enough to figure out its puzzle.

Russell had been chosen to lead the fugitive-search because he knew Link well and knew where he would be likely to go. Russ had come here on a hunch. The Lost Hills were an excellent place to hide and his brother had spoken of taking camping trips and botanical research trips here. Russ had broken off from the main group of men at the base of the hills. He'd taken two men with him – Captain Kyle Kenyon and a young officer recently inducted into the Guard, Blake Bladebringer. The posse had found some signs that two shod horses bearing riders had passed up this way. Russ had wanted to go on into the hills alone to confront his brother, but, as Captain, Kenyon had insisted on coming and on bringing the new officer.

Many questions were running through Russell's mind. He could not believe that his brother was a murderer – and he did not believe it. The evidence pegged him as the most likely suspect – and the only suspect at this time. The fact that he had fled from his home with his young family only increased suspicion. Russell hoped to question him, which is why, despite the familial connection, he had been eager to join the pursuit. Russ hoped beyond hope that Link would talk with him and that he'd find something to clear his name. Part of him hoped that the man would get away, however. If Link was guilty – or just found that way, the penalty was hanging in the castle courtyard. This was not simply a murder case. The king was dead.

Link Ordona had been the last person seen entering and leaving one of the king's council chambers before the body was found. Poor King Claudius Nohansen was discovered slumped over his desk, bleeding from a wound that had been inflicted by a sword. According to his personal attendant, he managed to choke out part of a word before he passed on; "Dona." Link was one of only a handful of soldiers who still trained with a blade – that and the king's last word gave the castle court all the suspicion it needed.

Before the bells had finished ringing, Link Ordona was gone from the palace grounds. Rumors abounded. It was a shock for the entire court and Castle Town. Link had always seemed like a loyal soldier, one of the most loyal and protective in the Royal Guard and a favorite of the court. He used to train Princess Cecelia in archery and swordplay. He was always finding rare books for Queen Daphne to read Kara and Anya at bedtime. He used to hold Princess Zelda and bounce her on his knee.

Now his farm in Darunia had lain un-tended for three weeks and there was a national manhunt. A bounty had been leveled on him and for information regarding him. "Why did you run?" Russell whispered to himself as he sat high in the saddle, listening for subtle variations in the air.

"What is he doing?" Blake asked the captain.

"He's a Hylian," Captain Kenyon answered. "Those long ears allow him to hear quieter things than we can. He's tuning into nature."

Russell kicked his horse into a gallop northward, through a gap between rock formations. Kenyon and Bladebringer followed him. He saw two shadows on the horizon.

"Link!" Russell called. "Please stop! Brother! Talk to me!"

The figure on the black horse made like he was about to flee, but found himself butted up against a rise of stone. "Russell? Is that you?" a female voice called – the voice of Grace Ordona. "Please! Don't shoot!"

The baby she held on her arm cried as she and her husband rode their horses in a slow descent, down toward Russ and the other officers. Link looked at Russell with shame and sorrow. He halted his animal. Captain Kenyon brought out his pistol and leveled it at the man. Blake did the same.

"Link… Link, you have to talk to me," Russell said gently. "I'm going to have to arrest you… I am sorry, but please, you have to come quietly and cooperate. We need to get to the bottom of what happened. We need to clear your name. I know you didn't kill the king – but what you've done by running isn't helping you."

"My name won't be cleared, Russ," Link said slowly. He clutched his reins with his tattooed hand. "I will not be cleared of this crime. There are forces at work here beyond your control or mine."

"We have to find out who framed you!"

"I have to protect my wife and son," Link replied. "The forces at work are after the life of my son and they will not stop. The mark and my name have worked… they've mistaken me for him, for the time being. Please, you have to let me go, Russ."

"Let you go? I can't, brother, I just can't! I'm of the Royal Guard. You know as well as I do what that means!"

"Russell, listen to me… I know who killed Claudius, but it will never be believed. It was P-!"

A loud pop sounded and Link Ordona clutched his chest. He fell from his horse. The gun in Captain Kenyon's hand smoked lightly.

"Liiiiiink!" Grace shouted, clutching her child close and fighting for control of her mare as Link's horse fled. She fell from her steed, suddenly and limply as another gunshot rang out. Russell jumped off his horse and ran to his brother's side.

Dust swirled.

The baby cried.

"Why did you do that?" Blake demanded of his captain, whirling around and turning his weapon on him. "They were unarmed! And she was innocent, and! And!"

"Will you shut up?" the captain hissed. "I am under orders. The Family Ordona is to be executed for crimes against the Crown."

"There were no such orders!" Russell shouted as he held his choking, wheezing younger brother. "He drew no weapon on you and Grace and the child are completely innocent! My brother deserves a trail!"

Kenyon dismounted his red mare and stalked to where the body of Grace lay. Her eyes stared blankly up at him. A portion of the top of her head had been shattered by his bullet. Her child remained clutched in her arms, wrapped in his blanket, which was stained in her blood.

Blake Bladebringer watched as he stood, holding the reins of his and Kenyon's horses, his gun still drawn in a shaking hand.

"I am under higher orders than you, officer," Kenyon said. "It is _my_ master's will that this bloodline be wiped out. You have served me well, Russell. The Hero is soon to die, as are you. First, I must silence that annoying squall…"

He drew his gun and leveled it at the baby. Russell and Blake gasped at once. Blake fired off a shot which slammed into Kenyon's right arm. He screamed and kept firing into his captain's shoulders and legs. One shot landed in the man's middle. Kenyon dropped his weapon and crumpled to the ground. Blake stood still and shook, not believing what he had just done.

"Traitor," Kenyon muttered from the ground.

Link shivered in Russell's arms. "M….my child," he choked out. "I wanna see my son… one last time."

Blake staggered over to Grace and the baby. He drew the infant up out of her arms and gently passed him into Link's. Russell helped his brother to hold the boy. Link Jr. fussed and clutched at his father's beard, which brought a small, pained smile from the man.

"Come on, now," Russell said softly, "I told you that you were going to be a terrific father. You have to make good on that. We'll get you some help."

Link coughed deeply. Frothy blood issued from his mouth and ran down his shirt. "Think…lung shot… finding it hard to breathe. I'm not gonna make it, Russ. Please take care of little Link for me. Want him to have a good life…with honor…"

"I will, Link. I'll give him a good life."

Link held his son in an ever slackening grasp and looked down at him. "L-Link… I love you. I always will. Mind your Uncle Russ and grow up strong."

His grip failed and Blake took the baby from him. He closed his eyes and gave one last, shuddering, blood-choked breath, a quick spasm, and then went still. Russell laid him down upon the earth and let his tears flow freely.

Blake held Link Jr. and looked back and forth between Russell and Kenyon, who was still alive upon the ground and moaning.

Kenyon hauled himself to a sitting position and looked to the sky. His eyes were almost rolled back. His face had an otherworldly quality to it, as if he was possessed by something. "Failed," he said to no one in particular. Everything happened in a surreal fashion, so quickly that Blake could not stop it, yet so slowly that it was etched upon the young man's memory forever. The captain took up his discarded gun in a blood-covered, pain-shaking hand, brought the muzzle to his head, and fired.

"Wha- What do we do now, sir?" Blake asked Russell.

"Give me my nephew," Russ ordered. Blake complied. "We should… bury our dead," he said.

"Out here? In the middle of nowhere?"

"Yes. You saw what happened. I don't think Central Hyrule is a safe place for my family anymore. If people think my brother's still on the run, it will buy me time to fetch my wife and daughter and get somewhere else."

"Where will you go, sir?" Blake asked, "I think… that I shall have to flee, as well."

"I'll be going…. To my grandfather's old homestead – it's what's left of the ancient Ordona Province, where the family name comes from. It's way out there, by the Endless Desert… the old Calatian Sea. Its' easily defensible if the need arises, but very few people even know where it is anymore. Maybe…" Russell choked back a sob, "Maybe… Link and I should have stayed there all along; instead of coming to Hyrule proper… we were teenagers then… stupid kids…He became a farmer in the end, anyway. We both should have stayed…"

"Sir?" Blake offered, "My father told me to live without regrets. I don't think I can do that now, but… perhaps both of us can try?"

"Yes," Russell said, holding Link Jr. close. He already regretted the lies he knew he'd tell the child in the future.

* * *

Zelda wandered upstairs. Malon had given her a tour of Ordona Ranch. She'd introduced her to the ranch's other families and instructed her in some of the so-called simpler tasks. Every muscle in her body ached, including ones she never before knew she had. Malon was almost supernatural to her, how she'd lift and stack bales of hay with ease, carrying one on each shoulder when she needed to. Zelda was barely able to lift one a few inches off the ground, her hands clenching the bailing wire. Malon said that she'd build her muscles up in time. She'd nearly been dragged leading a horse (though she'd had experience with horses at the royal stables, it was always a groom that would lead her chosen mount back and forth between the tacking area and the stalls). The horse had walked at too brisk a pace, starting a light trot and Zelda had to dig her heels into the earth to keep from being toppled. She felt herself to be in a strange and perhaps more dangerous form of skiing until she got control of the animal.

Malon joked that at least they weren't expecting her to be a farrier, which was, perhaps, the most difficult job around the place. Fado was their man for that while his son and Link were learning the trade. When Zelda had asked Malon about Link, the ruddy-haired woman had said "Link does a little of everything around here. He's set to inherit this place, along with me." She'd been living at the ranch for as long as she could remember. Link was like a brother to her, having been raised with her after being adopted by her parents. Her mother had caught ill and died when she was ten, leaving her father and Link as her only family ever since.

Zelda was told that Link's room was the first door on the left. She walked in, hoping to plop down on the bed and not die. That plan was halted when she saw Link sacked out on the bed, lying on his stomach, still in his blue jeans but not in his boots or shirt. His vest was hanging on one post of the bed and his hat on another. His uncle did give him the day off, she remembered. He looked peaceful, his head cocked to the side on the pillow, a little rivulet of drool staining it… she did not want to disturb him. She slid down next to the bed, using it as a backrest. She'd never been this tired in all her life. It wasn't a sleepy sort of tired, strangely enough – it was more of a bone-weariness, a throbbing ache in everything that wouldn't have let her sleep if she'd tried.

There was a haphazard stack of books beside the bed. The gilded title on the cover of one caught her eye; "Legendarium Hyrulea." The text of the open comic book resting on top of it did the same; _"Our ancestors came to this planet with dreams of a paradise but found only sand. On this planet, anything can happen. We face impossibilities every day here. If we let every little thing get us down, we couldn't go on." _

Zelda picked the comic up and thumbed through it. It was the latter volume to some extensive series, so she didn't understand what was going on, but she gathered that it was a bit of escapism in the exciting new genre that had cropped up in literature these days; "science fiction." Zelda had read a little "sci-fi" before… it all seemed to have to do with people traveling to the starry domain of the Goddesses and to other worlds that were out there, and also with new kinds of magics that the people of the future might create. Apparently, the people in this particular comic lived on a planet that was covered with sand… a lot like Hyrule now, but not how Hyrule used to be.

Link flopped an arm over the bed. Zelda stared at his hand. He didn't have his wrangling gloves on. She'd had her proof already of who he was, when he'd saved her from those men in Nabooru and when she'd felt the urge to trust him. Now, she could not give in to doubt even if she'd wanted to. The bottom right triangle was even glowing mildly. She unwrapped the bandage from her own right hand to see the bottom left triangle glowing on her Triforce mark. "You're resonating, aren't you?" she whispered. She wrapped her hand back up and gently took Link's hand in both of her own.

The young man immediately bolted upright and took a defensive stance. He stared at Zelda and caught his breath. "What?" he exclaimed.

Zelda smiled serenely. "You sleep softly," she said. "You don't snore – you're quiet. That will serve you well on the journey ahead… you can sleep without enemies and predators hearing you. You also waken at the lightest touch and are immediately ready to defend yourself. That is also an asset."

"What in the world are you talking about?" Link asked.

"Give me your left hand, please?" Zelda asked. Link did so, a questioning look on his face. Zelda smiled and traced a finger around the outlines of the triangle mark. "You do know what this mark means, don't you?"

"It's my birthmark," Link said, "Nothing more. I know it's a little strange, but it's just a birthmark."

"Don't tell me you don't know the Sacred Crest when you see it?"

"I know it looks like that, but really, it's just a birthmark – chance."

Zelda picked up the copy of "Legendarium Hyrulea." "You read the legends," she said with a smile, "You must know that your birthmark is the Hero's Mark."

"Well, yeah, but…" Link began, "I think that it must be common in my family. I've seen an old photo of my father and he had the same mark – and he was no one special. All those old stories are exaggerated, anyway, fairy tales."

"They are not as exaggerated as you think," Zelda replied. She unwrapped the bandage on her hand, exposing her mark. "I was not born with this," she said, "though it is my birthright."

"Uh? That's what you were hiding? I'd thought you'd just gotten hurt. It's great to see that you're not-"

The bottom left triangle on the back of her hand glowed in a golden pulse. The bottom right triangle on Link's hand did the same.

"Aaaah!" he yelped, "what is this? It's never done that before!"

"I told you," Zelda said again, "It's the Hero's Mark. Evil forces are moving upon the world. Hyrule has long been out of balance. You are the one to defeat the evil and to bring nature back into balance."

"This can't be true!" Link protested. "I'm just a rancher. I'm gonna be what Uncle Russ wants me to be and what my friends need me to be – a man of peace! Evil forces…Pah! Superstition!"

"Link…" Zelda said gently, "You can't fight your destiny. I couldn't fight mine. I'm sorry that I haven't been forward with you but I am Princess Zelda. I – I fled the palace. The forces of evil were after me. You see, Ganondorf…"

"President Ganondorf?" Link asked. "But he was elected by the people as a representative! Uncle Russ didn't vote for him and doesn't agree with all his policies, but…"

"He's begun calling himself King Ganondorf now, Link," Zelda said, "And he has no right to it. He is not a true royal. He's been overstepping his authority, running over the royal authority which is supposed to be final."

Link slipped an olive-green t-shirt over his head and put his vest on. "Maybe it's time we did away with royal law completely… it's archaic. I've always liked the budding democracy, even if the guy we liked didn't win the election. I'm not sure I believe you. You don't carry yourself like a princess. You're too… rough."

"Stupid farmboy!" Zelda said, wrinkling her nose. "Destiny is biting you in the backside and you don't even recognize it! Besides, it's not all Ganondorf… I have reason to believe my eldest sister has some terrible things in mind for our land. Please, Link, you have to help me save Hyrule!"

"Did those thugs hit you over the head or something?"

"You've aided me and have been the stabilizing force in this world for countless lifetimes and now you would deny the call of destiny? Farore is calling you to act!"

"They're just stories! Merely legends! Just because my name is Link – it means nothing! My father was named Link and he's dead! He lived a humble life and died! I don't know what you mean by countless lifetimes – I have this life, my life, and I want to live it! Keep your superstitions. I choose to live in reality."

Loud noises sounded outside. The outside of the window by Link's bed suddenly frosted over.

"It's her…" Zelda gasped. "She's here."

Russ' voice and the voice of another sounded downstairs. "I don't know what you're talking about!" the man said, "We are not harboring any fugitives and my boy did nothing wrong!"

"Hand them over or your life is forfeit by decree of the Crown," the voice, female yet deep and dark, replied.

"Father!" Malon exclaimed.

Link grabbed his hat. He and Zelda bolted downstairs.

* * *

End Chapter 3.

Turn to the Next.

.


	4. Who We Are and Who We Were

**THE GREAT DESERT**

**Chapter 4: Who We Are and Who We Were **

Downstairs, the door was open and a gale was blowing through it. Link shivered as a spat of snow hit him in the face. "What? What is this?" he asked. He'd never seen snow beyond a few flurries on cold winter nights and the occasional dusting on the distant mountains.

"It's Cecelia," Zelda answered, "My eldest sister."

"She uses a cryo rod? A little overdramatic, isn't she?"

"She's not using a cryo rod…" Zelda said.

Russell and Malon stood beyond the open door, out on the porch. Russ was shouting.

"I don't believe you," Russ yelled through the wind. "And I don't care if you're bloody Crown Princess of Hyrule; we never had much care for the Crown here, anyway. Get off my property before I get my gun!"

"Father!" Malon exclaimed.

Link and Zelda stepped out onto the porch and the wind died down. Standing before them, backlit by the sunset, was a tall woman with long, platinum blond hair, dressed a regal ice blue gown with ornaments of gold. She was flanked by men in armor, their visors covering their faces. "Why, if it isn't the little raven," she said with a sneer as she beheld Zelda. "I've missed you, sister. It is time to come home now."

"Yeah, I know what will happen," Zelda shot back. She took two steps backward, right into Link. "I'll come on back to the palace and then I'll have a nice, convenient 'accident.' You'll cry for the cameras and for the newspaper reporters, and there will be no one left to stop you as you and that … pig… turn this world into a _complete_ wasteland! In other words, I'm not going to come quietly!"

"My, my," Cecelia said, studying the exquisitely manicured fingernails of her right hand for a moment, "You've grown a backbone. It must be tough to be the barrier maiden… In a little while, when I take what is mine, there will be no need for such faith. I see you've made a little boyfriend. Perhaps you aren't a 'maiden' anymore?"

At this, Link grit his teeth and stepped forth.

"Ready to defend her honor, are you?" Cecelia laughed. "Good lad. You really do have that classic heroic look…"

"Link, stand down!" Russell ordered.

"Link, is it?" Cecelia said with a broadening smile. She then turned to Russ and eyed the small crowd that had gathered outside the Ordonas' ranch house porch. "I'll tell you what," she said, "My men will spare your crops and livestock and we will vacate this little dirt-farm if he comes with us. You may even keep the little princess. Let's just say I've a newfound interest in him."

Link looked about nervously. He sighed heavily and stepped forward, shrugging off Zelda's grip. "I'll come with you," he said, looking to Cecelia "I don't know what you want with me, but… just leave everyone else alone, okay?"

Cecelia placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good lad," she said.

"Link, don't!" Zelda pleaded.

"What will happen to him?" Russell demanded.

Zelda sidled up to him and spoke into his ear. "We can't let him go with her," she said. "She means to kill him."

Without warning, Cecelia grabbed Link and held him close to her body. He gulped and tried to writhe out of her grip, but felt a strange, cold feeling running through his veins. He could not move. He felt his head being pulled back.

"She is right, you know," Cecelia said as a shimmering object suddenly produced itself from her glove. The elder princess pressed the ice-dagger into Link's skin and whispered into his left ear. "Bravery has always been pretty stupid. This will be quick."

Russell screamed a war-cry. He grabbed a pitchfork that was leaning against the side of the house and charged Cecelia. Her soldiers reacted swiftly. As Russell jabbed his weapon into them, their armor clattered to the ground in a loud cacophony. Black smoke rose from it, magic without substance.

"Empty armor! Magic warriors!" Zelda gasped. The only thing this meant was that her sister was even more powerful a mage than she'd known. "Mr. Russell! Wait!"

Link suddenly felt his limbs able to move. He ducked and just as he did so, he saw a strange pale blue light shoot from his captor's hand to hit his uncle in the chest. Russell immediately stopped. Ice, clear, pure and hard formed all around him, encasing the entirety of his body. He stared at his nephew with wide, unseeing eyes, his mouth agape.

"Uncle Russ!" Link cried, running to him. He stopped short and fell to the ground, a block of that same kind of clear, hard ice suddenly encasing his left leg. Pain shot through his leg, and then it felt numb. He crawled upon the ground, shivering with a cold he'd never before felt in his life, trying to reach his uncle. Everything was chaos. His neighbors and friends were screaming. Malon was pounding on the ice that Russell was trapped in.

A wind picked up. Zelda stood, holding her right hand up in a fist. Light shone from it. The triangle pattern on the back of her hand glowed. She spoke with a voice that was strong and clear, echoing with authority. "Light shine through the darkness," she said. "Creature of evil heart, leave this place!"

A strange light rose up behind her. Link looked up. It resembled a snake, a serpent of immense proportions. Its head rose up above and beyond Zelda. It hissed. Cecelia shrank back, screamed a high-pitched scream, flung something from her hand and disappeared in a flash of smoke. The light-serpent shimmered and vanished. Zelda lowered her hand and her head, breathing heavily. "She's gone," she said.

The entire town surrounded Russell. The ice that encased him suddenly shattered. He fell to the ground with a dull thump. The ice encasing Link's leg likewise shattered away. He found he could not get up. He crawled and floundered until he came to his uncle's side.

"Daddy?" Malon cried, shaking his shoulders, "Daddy? Wake up! Wake up, please!"

"Arragh!" Link cried as he tried to move. Feeling was coming back to parts of his leg and it hurt terribly. From the knee down he felt numb, like he was lugging around a cold rock. The nerves right at his knee felt like they were on fire. Russell was still. His skin was discolored in a most peculiar way, purple like a bruise, with little ice crystals here and there, like freezer-burn. "Uncle Russ?" Link cried hopelessly. He felt the man's cold neck for a pulse, his chest for a heartbeat and found everything still. He heard Colin and his mother both begin crying. Billy Jack sniffed. Lady Gwen muttered a prayer.

Zelda knelt down beside Link. "He was frozen solid," she said. "All the cells in his body burst. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."

A roar of grief ripped itself from Link's lungs. He slumped over Russell, sobbing. He did not notice when Zelda removed his left boot and rolled his jeans leg up. She ran her hands along his leg, trying to massage life back into it. He looked up, curious as to what she was doing. His leg was discolored in much the same way as his uncle's skin was.

Zelda sighed deeply. "A crippled Hero. This isn't good."

Suddenly, the mark on her right hand glowed. Light surrounded both her hand and the whole lower portion of Link's leg. She gasped, as though she was unsure of what was going on. When the glow subsided, Link was able to wiggle his toes. His flesh was once again warm and alive, though from the knee down, it was a paler shade than the rest of his skin. He stared for a moment before he grabbed Zelda's hand violently.

"Link! What?" she exclaimed. He pressed her hand to his uncle's chest.

"Heal him!" he demanded. "You helped me, now bring him back to life!"

The Triforce crest on Zelda's hand was dark once again. "I can't!" she cried. "It's not working!"

"Come on!" Link pleaded, "Will it to work or something! Uncle Russ…"

"Link, let go of my wrist. You're hurting me!"

Link immediately let go. "I'm sorry," He said, hanging his head, letting his tears flow, "I'm sorry…"

Zelda kept her hand on Russell Ordona's chest. She closed her eyes, trying to communicate with Wisdom, pleading with Nayru to bring the man's spirit back to his body. A dull ache in her heart told her that her request was declined.

"I can't," she said sadly.

"He has passed on," Lady Gwen said, stepping forward. "None can bring him back. He died trying to protect his family – his spirit will be at peace." The old woman pointed to Zelda and then to Link. "You two need to leave this place. Destiny nips at your heels. Do not worry. We will take care of him."

"Gwen?" Link asked as the old woman hobbled over to him and gently grasped his ear between her thumb and her bony forefinger.

"I knew the day would come when you would leave us," she said slowly. "Your uncle tried to shield you from your destiny, but it has caught up to you. Now is the time for you to fulfill your destiny. Dry your eyes, boy. If you play this right, you will save us all."

Link stood up and wiped the tears from his eyes. He put his left boot back on. He strode into the house as if he were suddenly on a mission. "Link?" Malon asked as he watched him rip the weapons case off the wall and slam it down onto the dinner table. Glass broke and clattered to the floor. "Bullets, Malon," Link ordered as he grabbed Uncle Russ' old gun, "the holster, too."

"He hasn't used it in years, Link," Malon said, "and you've never used one in your life!"

"I know he kept a stash of ammunition," Link said calmly, coldly, "Just get it for me."

"Alright," Malon said as she headed toward the back of the house. Link looked at his father's old sword and the scabbard that had been mounted in the case beside it, both now lying haphazardly upon the table, amid broken glass. Link did not know why, but he felt drawn to the sword. It was an archaic weapon with no practical use in the modern world, certainly not to be compared to a .45, but still, it seemed to call to him. He took it up, contemplated the blade with its ancient blessing-seal for a moment, sheathed it and slung it onto his back. Malon returned with brown leather gun holster and two small cardboard boxes filled with rows of bullets.

Link girded the holster over his belt and loaded six bullets into his uncle's gun before putting it firmly inside it. He picked up the ornately decorated gun that had once belonged to his father. It was the same make. He loaded it, as well, and passed it to Malon. He put one box of ammunition in his back pocket and he laid the other on the table.

He looked at Malon very seriously. "If that bitch ever comes back here and tries to hurt you… you shoot her okay?" Malon nodded her head quickly, fear showing in her eyes. She'd never seen this side to her cousin.

"What do you intend to do, Link?" She asked.

"I'm going to hunt her down," Link said, "Whatever it takes. I'm not letting your father go un-avenged."

"Link… you… you don't have to. Stop acting like this! You're scaring me! I've never seen you like this! Where's my gentle-hearted Link? I want him back… please?"

"I think he died tonight, Malon," Link said, sighing. He cupped her cheek.

"No he didn't," she replied, "I can still see his eyes."

"I don't think it's safe for anyone if I stay here anymore," he said. "I have to go with Zelda now. The ranch is yours now, like you always wanted. You're strong, Malon. I know you can take care of everyone."

"Be careful, okay, Link?"

"I'll try."

After gathering a few more things, he stepped out the door and Zelda followed him. He tried not to look as Fado and Billy Jack wrapped what remained of Uncle Russ up in bed sheets and carried him toward the town graveyard. Lady Gwen followed them, making signs with her hands and uttering prayers. Malon simply stood in the doorway, watching as the princess and the man she'd been calling "Hero" wandered to the stables. Link saddled up Rhiannon and asked Zelda where they were to go.

"Old Kakariko," she said as they rode the horse at a brisk trot. "Don't fool yourself. You're not going to be able to defeat my sister or Ganondorf with the power you have now."

"I don't care about President Ganondorf," Link said, "I just want revenge on that woman. She… just destroyed my life."

Zelda rubbed his shoulder, a pale attempt to comfort him a little. "It is a twisted web," she said, "And thank you…"

"For what?"

"For all that you've done for me… and all that you haven't done yet, but will do. We need to go to Old Kakariko. It's where my Impa lives. She can train you. She knows a little of guns, but her expertise is in the sword. Furthermore, she knows the arts of stealth."

"Impa?"

"Adelaide. Impa is a title – it means 'bodyguard' and 'teacher.' Cecelia dismissed her recently and exiled her from the court. That was one of many signs that something very shady was going on and that my life was in danger. I'm sure she'll find you easy to train. She's left-handed, like you."

"Huh?" Link asked, "You noticed that."

"Whenever you picked up anything. It's not a common trait."

Link sighed, looking at the stars and the moonlit desert ahead. "I suppose we'll bypass Nabooru. I don't even know where Old Kakariko is."

"You're on the right path," Zelda replied.

"The military must be very happy…" Link said.

"Huh?" Zelda asked.

"I've heard about cryo rods," he continued, "I also heard that scientists were trying to make improvements to them. I had no idea that they were that powerful, or that they could be concealed so well. I'm guessing she was hiding a pair of them in those silk gloves of hers. I didn't think the liquid nitrogen chambers would allow for concealment like that-"

"You are a complete idiot, aren't you?" Zelda spat. "What you saw wasn't technology! It was magic! Cecelia's a MAGE, ice-specialty! You saw what happened!"

"The glow from your hand was pretty… otherworldly," Link admitted. "You spoke with a very strange, echoing voice and you drove her off. You healed my leg. How did you do all that?"

"I am not sure," Zelda said. "It all just… happened, but what you witnessed was magic. Don't deny it."

"There was this huge snake made of golden light…It looked like something out of the old 'Legend of the Twilight Princess' I've read."

"Lanayru," Zelda said. "Lanayru… one of Hyrule's four great guardian spirits. I thought her spring had dried up. All that means is that we've got more allies than I thought."

"Forgive me, princess," Link said, "I don't know what you royals study, but all this magic stuff is new to me… and strange."

"It is more familiar to you than you know," Zelda replied. "Don't worry too much. Belief in the old ways has dried up just as the land has. There are not many people who have much faith anymore, and it's hard to blame them. It may take a little time, but you'll find your faith. I know already that I believe in you."

Link shifted uncomfortably in the saddle.

"What's wrong?"

"My leg hurts."

* * *

As evening deepened into midnight, Rhiannon's hooves thumped across the desert hardpan, harsh and swift, in time with Link's racing heart. Zelda held onto him tight from behind. Everything was different now. Only Zelda's fingers clutching into his chest, wadding up his shirt told him that he was not dreaming.

"Something's following us," she said and Link was immediately on high alert. Rhiannon started to buck. Link had to fight her out of a rear.

"Rhia? What's the matter girl?" he asked his steed. Moonlight shone off a pair of beast-eyes in the dark. They resembled pale sapphires and the approached at an alarming rate. Link brought out his gun and held tight to the reins. The animal the reflective eyes belonged to stepped closer and into the moonlight. The beast was quite dark in color, with light highlights on the chest, sides and forehead. It growled and looked up, directly at Link.

"The resident wolf," Link said with a deep sigh. "I don't want to hurt you. You're like an old friend. Go on, get!"

Zelda clutched tighter to his chest as the wolf growled again, deep and low. The horse whinnied and fidgeted. Link was afraid to spur her to a run, for fear that he'd lose control of her or the wolf would give chase. The wolf continued to snarl. He bunched up his shoulders and haunches. Immediately, fearing that he was going to leap for Rhiannon's throat or for Zelda, Link clumsily fired his gun at the beast. The shots landed around his paws, impacting with the dust.

The wolf's growl became lower. "Your weapon is quite ineffective against me, coyote."

"Did you just…talk?" Link questioned. Instead of answering, the wolf lunged for him. Zelda screamed. He felt jaws clamp themselves around his throat and his body shift off the saddle. His world went white.

* * *

The young man, eyes tightly closed, realized that he was lying on the ground upon his back. Heat and hair lifted off of him. He rubbed his throat. He could breathe and the skin wasn't broken. He opened his eyes and sat up. Everything around him was misty. He grabbed his hat off the ground, donned it and stood up. He spied a figure sitting on what appeared to be rocks several feet away. It was a man cleaning and sharpening a sword.

The stranger looked up and smiled. "I'm sorry that I had to be so rough on you," he said, "I didn't think there was any other way to get your attention." He slid the sword he was working on into a scabbard on his back and stood up. Link stared at him. His clothes looked archaic, like he'd stepped out of some kind of fair or out of an illustrated history book. The man seemed to note this as he looked down at himself and back to Link. "Yeah, I know," he sighed. "The clothes weren't exactly fashionable in my own time, either. Love your hat."

"Where are we?" Link asked, looking around at the endless white the two were standing in. "And where's the wolf?"

The stranger pointed to himself and smiled.

"I… I don't understand," Link replied.

"Wolf" the man said simply, pointing, once again, to himself.

"I'm dreaming?"

"In a sense, yes, but this is also very real. It is difficult to explain. I am… well… I'm um… I am your predecessor, your ancestor… another Chosen Hero. Your understanding will grow in time. Mine did. Think for a moment. You've read a story about a hero who was also a wolf. He lived in a time when a dark shadow was blanketing the land and he restored the land to light."

Link's jaw went slack. "You're telling me that you're the Hero of Twilight?"

"Is that the title they gave me?" the erstwhile hero asked, his own jaw a little slack. "I suppose they must have bestowed that on me after I died… I sure don't remember it. Anyway, I am here to teach you. You'll meet others, as well… I can only give you as much knowledge as you are ready for."

"Well… Hero of Twilight or Hero of Light," Link added, "The title varies by story. You are the reason why Hyrule has a peace treaty and open trade with the Twilight Realm, or so the legends say."

The Hero of Twilight suddenly gazed off thoughtful, distant. "Open trade and peace…" then he shook his head. "I didn't get to see that… I died too soon."

"I did not mean to upset you."

"Oh, no, it's okay, really."

"Are you the first Hero?"

"Come again?"

"I asked," Link reiterated, "Are you the first Hero? I mean, the first guy to save Hyrule?"

"No, I am not," the Hero of Twilight answered, "I suppose I am the first to come to you because you and I have the most in common with one another. Before I began my quest, I was a rancher, too." He smiled broadly. "I also lived in a doubtful age… faith in the Goddesses and in magic was beginning to dwindle in my time. It was twilight in more than one way. The guardian spirits praised me for being a person of faith – and I didn't think I had a lot. Your age is an even greater age of doubt. There's almost no faith left in Hyrule. I'm surprised that I can feel mystic energy flowing from you. I was not as lucky in my time. Take up your weapon."

Link drew his gun.

"No, no no!" the Hero of Twilight scolded. "Not that! I do not know that weapon. I cannot teach you anything with that! Your sword! Draw your sword!"

Link holstered the gun and cautiously drew his father's sword off his back. "I've not used a sword before… it's an archaic weapon. I've not been properly trained in firearms, either, for that matter."

"The sword is a noble weapon," the Hero of Twilight replied, drawing his own blade, "and it takes skill to use. You will have to learn your skills quickly. I'll give you a crash-course. Watch me closely, then repeat it yourself. Do not worry. In this realm, you cannot harm me. Let us begin."

The Hero of Twilight first showed Link a basic swipe, then a thrust and stab. He then leapt into the air, swiping his blade downward, bringing its tip down just shy of Link's shoulder. Link grit his teeth and tried not to yelp. He saw a strand of his hair float upon the air. The erstwhile Hero sheathed his blade and waited for Link to try the demonstrated moves. He did so clumsily.

"What ails you?" the Hero asked. "Don't falter. Your enemies certainly won't. Get your grit up. You were born and bred to fight demons."

"I haven't done anything like this before!" Link protested.

"Are you going to quit, then, coyote? Are you going to let down all who depend upon you? If you wish to quit, say so now. I have no time for faithless cowards."

Link growled. No one called him a coward, let alone some dead man in a dream. He redoubled his efforts. He fought hard with the Hero of Twilight and eventually sent him sprawling to the ground.

"Very good! Very good!" he laughed as he picked himself up. You are ready for one more skill I have to teach you. Hold your sword out and concentrate. Send your 'will' into it."

Link, unsure of what he meant, tried it. He felt suddenly light and fast as his sword circled the air, aflame with a mysterious green light. He felt his strength and his "will" going through the hilt and through the length of the blade, thrumbing through the air like music. When he was done, he held his father's sword up, staring at it.

"That was amazing!" he exclaimed. "How in the world did I do that?"

"Like I said," the Hero of Twilight answered, "you have the mystic energy. I did not. I had to learn a much harder skill that is similar to that move during my time in life. I had to be at the peak of health to pull it off – not an ache, not a pain, not a scratch! You are fortunate not to have that handicap. In this doubtful age, and with the doubts in your heart, I'm surprised that you have the ability to pull it off. You are in touch with magic, though you are not yet fully aware of it."

"Magic…" Link said slowly.

"I cannot say that I'm not a bit disappointed in your lack of faith, son, but I really do not blame you, in your era. You are rather calm about this only because you believe you are dreaming. Once you awaken, you will remember the skills I have taught you. Whether you believe that I am real, however, is entirely up to you. As you are now, there is only so much that I can teach you – that any of us can teach you."

"Any of us?"

"The Heroes," the Hero of Twilight said bluntly. "We will appear in the beginning as animals – the beasts that reflect who we were. I am the wolf. There are many of us. You shall see the ones that you need to see, meeting only the ones you need to meet. There is a golden wolf's whelp. There is the rabbit, the bear, the black cat, the cardinal and the seagull. Heed our lessons well, coyote. Farewell."

"Wait! Will I ever see you again?"

The Hero of Twilight pointed to the center of his chest, his heart, then to Link's. "I am closer than you think."

"Why do you keep calling me 'coyote?"

The Hero of Twilight faded into the white of the surrounding landscape. Link blinked, aware that he was lying upon the hard earth. He heard Zelda's voice.

"Oh, Goddesses! Link, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," he said, trying to sit up. Zelda knelt beside him. She held Rhiannon's long reins in her left hand and had her right on his shoulder. She brushed his neck, as if making sure he had not been bitten.

"The wolf ran off," she said. "It just knocked you off the saddle. It looked like it was trying for your throat, but it just ran off. I wonder if it was an ill-treated pet. It had a shackle on its leg." What Zelda failed to admit was that the beast she had seen looked painfully familiar, like something out of a dream she'd had, or one of her visions.

"I'm alright," Link said, standing up, brushing himself off. "Let him be."

He helped Zelda back onto the saddle and mounted up. He did not know yet if he should tell Zelda of the vision he'd had. For the time being, he kept it to himself and continued to wonder about it. "The golden wolf's whelp. The rabbit, the bear, the black cat, the cardinal and the seagull," he whispered to himself. He set his gaze to the east, across the wild desert that lay between them and Old Kakariko.

* * *

Link and Zelda traveled the desert for three days without seeing a soul. They moved by night, riding into the morning and would rest at whatever shady spot they could find during the heat of the day. Rhiannon was able to eat the scanty desert bushes and tough, bristly grasses that grew in the sand and hardpan – being a Hylian Mustang, she possessed a toughness that the more "refined" horse breeds that Zelda was familiar with did not. Link had brought along a bag of oats for her, but after three days of giving her small rations, it was gone. Link had great concern for her because mere survival was not the same as health and without a healthy steed; they'd be lost out here. Water was an even greater concern. Link was familiar with the desert, having explored and camped in the lands just outside his home since childhood. He told Zelda about certain cacti that could provide water if processed properly, though their tissues were bitter and harvesting them for moisture was best avoided if possible. He said that a man could potentially survive a week in the wasteland if he limited his movement and drank his own urine – also to be avoided if possible. The two were light on their canteens and to their great relief, they'd found a cave with a small spring inside it on their second day of travel. Link tasted the water first to make sure that it was safe to drink. Once he found it fresh and clean, he lead Rhiannon to drink and filled their canteens and every empty container they had.

They'd found the nights dangerous. Strange, spider-like creatures would jump at them out of the shadows. Odd, bladed things that looked like plants would spring up out of the sands, spinning into Rhiannon's legs. Desert keese, usually peaceful animals, were suddenly on the attack whenever they tried to ride. Link managed to shoot a few of these bizarre creatures, but he found it more effective to dispatch them and to chase them off with his sword. He'd spring out of the saddle and use the moves he'd learned in his dream. To his great astonishment, he'd once even spun his sword and summoned the green flame into it. Upon confessing that he'd never seen wildlife acting so strangely, nor had he seen some of these kinds of animals before, Zelda informed them that they were not "natural animals" but monsters – beings that sprang up in the land due to evil influences. She said that they were always around, hiding in times of true peace and proliferating when things had gone wrong.

It was not long after dawn when they'd come upon a little adobe house with a tile roof. A woman with brown hair was outside it, bent over a few scrawny tomato plants with a watering can. The scene looked out of place in the middle of nowhere. "Link, stop," Zelda commanded.

Link halted Rhiannon and the woman looked up from her watering. She blinked her green eyes and gasped. "Zelda?"

"Kara!" Zelda cried, jumping off the saddle. She ran to the woman and hugged her.

"Zelda, I've missed you," Kara said. She looked up to Link. "Hitch your horse and come inside quickly!"

Link led his mare to the back of the house and hitched her. He wandered inside where the two women were chatting busily. "Oh!" Kara said, "It's very dangerous for you! You shouldn't be seen! The whole of the Royal Guard is hunting for you! They say you've been kidnapped, but…"

She turned to Link and smiled a quirky smile. "This must be the infamous Link, yeah?"

"Yes, yes he is," Zelda answered for him. She ushered him to sit down in a comfortable chair. "You fought hard last night. Ease your back."

"That wound on your arm looks pretty nasty," Kara said, "Let me get something to wash it up."

"It's just a little keese bite," he answered.

Kara wet a cloth and handed it to Link. She ushered Zelda to sit on her couch while she sat on a chair across from her. "It's just awful, Zelda," she said, "and I know Cecelia's behind it. I should have known the day she took over for mother… before then, even. She always had a lust for power in her eyes."

"Excuse me…" Link butted in, "but who are you?"

"This is Kara," Zelda said, "She's my sister."

"How many have you got?" he asked tiredly, "I didn't like meeting the last one."

"Forgive me," Zelda said, "We haven't all been properly introduced. Link, this is Princess Kara, second in formal succession behind Crown Princess Cecelia. Kara, dear, this is Link Ordona…"

"Jr. Link Ordona Jr." Link corrected.

"He's been kind enough to rescue me from many dangers, as befitting the Hero."

"… I'm still not used to all this," Link complained. "All this legendary stuff you seem to believe in. I didn't ask for this and I sure don't feel like a hero."

"He's tired," Zelda apologized. "He gets a bit cranky when he's tired."

"Hey!"

"But he's very sweet and very brave."

"He's also very wanted." Kara said. "I'll turn on the morning news; they're probably still talking about the two of you. Ganondorf's got a six million rupee bounty on you, kid."

"What?" Link choked.

Kara turned on an old television that was sitting at the end of the room. She twisted the rabbit ears on it and the picture cracked to life. President Ganondorf was standing before a podium in one of the royal gardens – the one that was at the palace entrance and open to the public. The headline below him read "King Ganondorf," however. He spoke into a sea of microphones.

"We wish only for the safe return of the princess," he stated. "We fear she may already have been murdered. The young man with whom she was last seen is to be considered armed and dangerous. Oh, it deeply saddens me to see such troubles in our fair kingdom!"

"He's cryin' crocodile tears," Kara hissed.

"Link Ordona Jr. was last seen vacating Ordona Ranch with Princess Zelda after murdering his uncle, Russell Ordona. We have leveled a substantial reward for information leading to his capture. We will pay out six million rupees to anyone who brings him in alive or presents us with identifiable remains. It is regrettable that we must call for dead or alive bounty for one so young, but this troubled youth has committed crimes that amount to high treason."

Link's eyes narrowed in anger. "Uncle Russ… how DARE he accuse me of killing him! That Cecelia bitch did it! Wait…. If they know about Russ, they must have gone to the ranch!" Link sat up straight, his face a mask of worry.

Footage was shown of Ordona Ranch. Familiar people spoke in front of the camera. Malon shook her head and proclaimed that "Link was such a kind, gentle boy," and that she never saw the tragedy coming. Fado spoke to the reporters of how "troubled" Link had allegedly been, all lies. The burly man then looked straight at the camera and said "Link, if you're out there and can see this…" then he made a sign with his hands.

Link sat back and sighed, a surprised, relieved expression crossing his face. "Fado… thank you, buddy… thank you."

"What was that?" Zelda asked.

"All clear." Link said. "That sign he made with his hands… we used to use hand signs to communicate across the fields and pens. The one he made means 'all clear' or 'everything's okay.' I can see what's happening. Fado probably called a meeting just after we left and they all agreed to lie to any investigators. They're protecting themselves."

"But they're ruining your name to do it," Kara said, "unless it's true?"

"Of course it's not true!" Link spat back. "And it's okay. They know I can take care of myself. They trust me to get through this. They know I'd rather them protect themselves than protect me."

He and Zelda both told Kara of the events that had transpired at the ranch three days ago. Kara hung her head. "Yes, just like Cecelia," she sighed, "She knows that she is not the true Princess ordained of Nayru. She is doing everything to grasp power. She is just using Ganondorf, you know."

"Perhaps he is using her," Zelda replied.

"Again with the politics," Link said. "I have a question; it's been bugging me ever since three days ago. Cecelia said she'd let Zelda go if I came with her. I'm just a regular person. I'm just the person who was harboring Zelda. Why was she so interested in me all of a sudden, to the point of trying to kill me?"

"As I've said, Link," Zelda said, "you are the Hero. Cecelia knows that if she takes you out of the picture, there will be no one to protect me and no one to stop her… or Ganondorf. You're sort of like a key to everything. She must have known you are the Chosen Hero. It was probably your name that gave it away."

Kara looked down and shook just a little. "Captain Krin confided in me that, as of three years ago, Cecelia put a 'watch' on families with anyone named 'Link' or 'Rinku' or 'Linette' in the registries. I'm sorry, kid; she's been waiting for you."

"This is just unbelievable," Link moaned.

"Another thing, Zelda?" Kara said, turning the television off, "I… I really don't want you to hear it from a newscast. They're sure to speak of it."

"What, Kara?" Zelda asked.

Kara's eyes welled with tears. "Hawky came to me a few days ago. It probably happened right after you left the palace…"

"Hawky?" Link asked.

"My messenger hawk. My beloved Krin and I use him to send mail back and forth to each other. He is more reliable than the postal service and much more difficult to trace. There are reasons I left the castle for this cottage at the end of the world. Anyway, Hawky bore a letter in his satchel and… it concerns Anya."

"Anya!" Zelda gasped, "Is she alright?"

"She is not," Kara said, looking down again, her hands on Zelda's shoulders. "She 'fell' down the South Hall stairs. Her neck was broken. According to Krin, one of the handmaidens saw her arguing with Ganondorf and claims to have seen him push her. He'll never be investigated for it. He has too much power now. She's gone, Zelda, Anya is gone."

Zelda let out a wild sob. Kara held her. Link moved from his chair, wanting to help somehow. Zelda parted from Kara and ran to him. She did not know what strange instinct led her to that action. He held her and rubbed her back. He felt good, familiar and very strong. Something in her memory told her that this was right, that she and him had comforted each other many times like this – as friends, even as lovers – in lifetimes that were long since over with – lives that she was only beginning to become aware of, lives that he knew nothing about.

Kara looked sharply at Link. "Old Kakariko is just past the next set of hills to the southeast. Our former Impa is there. She can train you to defend yourself and to protect Zelda. She might also have some powerful insight and wisdom for you. It seems that the supernatural has been unleashed and the legend has begun anew. In any case, if you want to help my little sister, you're going to have to get strong."

Link sat down heavily, with Zelda in his lap, still clinging to him. "Don't we even get time to mourn?" he asked. "You just laid this sad bit of information on Zelda here, I've just lost my uncle – the man who raised me from a baby, mind you, and I've been accused of murdering him. Can't we take a little time for the wounds to scab over a little?

"No, you can't," Kara answered authoritatively. "In war, there is no time for mourning. The Age of the Hero of Time is long since over with. You will have to race time and by the looks of things, you're already behind."

"You're awfully calm about this."

"I have to be. I'm just trying to be strong. You should be, too. A Hero's fate is always a sad one."

"I didn't ask to be the Hero."

"If you'd asked for it, you probably wouldn't be him."

* * *

Link had been eager to leave the "family reunion." Kara ushered them out of her door in haste, telling them to stay low and to be careful. Kakariko was nearby, so daytime riding was acceptable. Rhiannon clopped at a walk over the stony hills and rises, past large cacti that people called "tall guardians." Her passengers slid off the saddle and decided to walk for a while. Link let Zelda hold Rhiannon's reins and lead her, as it made the princess happy to work with a horse again. The animal needed a rest and Link wanted to stretch his legs. They walked up a rise of what looked to be an old game trail.

"Kara will be alright where she is," Zelda told Link. "I had no idea exactly where she was living… now I know."

"Pretty humble dwelling for a princess."

"It makes sense for someone who is trying to hide in plain sight. Look, Link! Over there in that valley! I see rooftops."

"Corrugated metal and wood shingles?"

"New Kakariko is a thriving city. Old Kakariko was abandoned decades ago. It's a bit like the Old Kasuto ghost town now. The economy dried up. I think the wells did, too."

"Does anybody still live here?"

Link stiffened. He suddenly had the tip of a sword at his throat. He heard Rhiannon whinny. "Who dares to enter Old Kakariko uninvited? Traveler or invader? Friend or foe? Who is it that dares to travel with my princess?"

Before he could answer or draw his gun to defend himself from whomever this psychopath was, he heard Zelda cry out.

"Impa! Impa, withdraw your weapon. He's a friend."

The woman sheathed the double-edged sword. Link found himself looking face-to face with her. Her crimson colored eyes were unnerving. He hadn't seen, nor heard her approach.

Zelda gave the woman a warm hug. "Oh, Impa, I'm so glad we found you!" she said. "We have need of your help. Link, this is Adelaide, my Impa. Impa Adelaide, this is… this is Link. He's the new Hero."

"Hero?" Adelaide said with a scoff. "This kid? He's got the correct name, but he looks like you've dragged him from some dirt farm." Without warning, quicker than Link could see or avoid, the red-eyed woman was touching him, tapping his shoulders, squeezing his biceps. "He's soft," she said. "He'll probably be killed on his first great task."

"Hey! Stop that!" Link protested. "How are you doing that? I can't even see you move!"

"Adelaide knows Sheikah shadow magic," Zelda explained.

"Shei-what? Huwha?"

"We will explain."

"Doesn't even know the old magics, huh?" Adelaide laughed.

The three, and the horse, began walking down into the town.

"Please, Impa, you have to train him," Zelda pleased. "This man saved me from a gang of armed bandits single-handedly and unarmed. He faced Cecelia when she was working her magic and he lived!"

"With help from you, no doubt."

"Yes… but he really is very brave. I believe in him. And he's got the crest, as well."

"Let me see!"

Before he knew it, Link found the leather riding gloves snatched from his hands. Adelaide held his left hand firmly and stroked the back of it with her left thumb. "Well, I'll be," she gasped. "and it's genuine, too. I can feel it… feel its power." Forcefully, she grabbed Link's jaw, titled his chin up and looked straight into his eyes. "You really do have the soul, don't you, kid? Tell you what, boy. You two rest up today. At the crack of dawn, I'm gettin' you out of bed. You will learn things about weapons you never wanted to know. You'll suffer wounds. Your body will ache in places you never knew you had…"

Link released himself from the woman's grasp. "I doubt that. You see, I'm a rancher. I'm used to working my body hard every day."

Adelaide gave him a serious look and shook her head. "Not like this. What I'm going to put you through is nothing less than Hell itself, to prepare you for the Hell you're going to face. If you are the true Hero, you will have to win the three Pendants of Virtue and after that, the Blade of Evil's Bane. I'm sure you've read the 'fairy tales.' If the princess believes in you, I will not have you disappointing her. Our land is far too gone for us to bear another Lost One."

As they walked, Link shrugged.

"I'll put you up in the Elde Inn," Adelaide said. "Enjoy your sleep tonight, boy. It will be the last you're gonna get for a while."

* * *

End Chapter 4.

Turn to the Next.


	5. Dungeons and Dragons, Blood and Bone

**THE GREAT DESERT**

**Chapter 5: Dungeons and Dragons, Blood and Bone **

Impa Adelaide was the scariest woman in the world – after a week spent under her keeping, that is what Link decided and nothing could change his mind. He willingly subjected himself to her training and quickly regretted it. The warrior-woman tested his strength, his agility and his mind in ways he could not have foreseen. She started by confiscating his weapons. Some of her methods did not quite make sense to him, frankly.

One afternoon, she tied him to a large tractor tire and made him drag it around town. She used a light horsewhip as "motivation." Another day, she had him climb and jump around the red sandstone formations on the northeast end of town. She made him leap between the rooftops of Old Kakariko's buildings. He hit some weak boards and fell through the old saloon, long out of business. As part of the training, she kept him awake for three days straight, all while assigning him various tasks requiring physical and mental exertion to test his sharpness and personal discipline. When she found that she could not break him, she dismissed him for a day of rest.

After that, she invited him to her home, where she gave him back his gun and sword and showed him the walls of her private study. They were covered in weapons. Link had never seen so many swords before – and so many different types. There were guns, mostly of the handheld variety, though a pair of rifles hung on one wall. There were daggers and small weapons meant to be thrown. There were battleaxes, all of a light make. Link pointed to a very strange looking piece with a sharply curved blade that didn't look to him like it could be effective as anything but an ornament.

"Kopesh," Adelaide replied, "It's an ancient weapon. The Gerudo used it thousands of years ago. You see, the end of it was used to pull down an enemy's shield and then they'd use it to slash."

"Brutal," Link replied.

She pulled a very tiny and curious gun off the wall. Link recognized what it was. "Derringer," she said, stroking it, "Single-shot. Not very powerful, but its power is sufficient for simple self-defense and close-range. Easy to hide, my kind of gun. Yours is very good for what you'll need it to do… a nice, standard revolver, good caliber, good power. It's the same make most of the soldiers of the Royal Guard carry and is to be used only in matters of life and death. If you give someone a non-fatal wound with it, they could still die from blood loss, shock – it's that powerful. Know that and use it responsibly. The sword you brought with you, however, is excellent. It is quite strong, wonderfully balanced and in excellent condition."

"The gun was my late uncle's. The sword belonged to my father, who died before I could develop a memory of him."

"Hmm." Adelaide mused. "That just means it's even more special, at least to you. It's a good, basic arming sword. I prefer the jian, myself."

"I don't know what the inscription on it says."

"I had a good look at that," Adelaide replied. "It's Ancient Hylian. I know a little. There are gaps, but I could make out 'Wisdom to decide, courage to act, power to follow-through, grant the wielder these virtues,' – that seems to be what it says, roughly, if that helps."

"Thank you," Link said with a nod. "It helps a lot. I've always wondered about it."

Impa Adelaide placed a strong hand on the young man's left shoulder. "Listen, kid," she said firmly, "there is a reason I showed you this room. I've found your performance very impressive. You've surprised me a great deal, in fact. I am about to train you in the proper use of your weapons. As a reward for your hard work, I will allow you to take one additional weapon from my collection to train with and to keep as your own."

"Huh? Really?" Link asked, "I mean… I really didn't expect this."

"Hey, you've earned it. I am also going to give you a shield. I want to train you in swordsmanship first and foremost and that kind of sword really does require a shield for proper fighting technique."

"Wouldn't training me to become an expert with the gun make a little more sense? More people use them…including the people who will be hunting me over that stupid bounty."

"That may be so, boy, but I am an old-fashioned sort. I am sure you will pick up the art of aiming and a quick trigger-finger through sheer practice, but the sword is important for you to develop a relationship with. It's vital, in fact, since you wish to stop the growing tyranny of Cecelia and Ganondorf. My little Zelda believes with all her heart that you are the destined Hero. All of this kingdom's greatest evils have been broken by a legendary blade, the Master Sword. It is a living blade… it is said to have a spirit and that spirit will not respect someone who does not respect swords."

"But," Link began, "I've read about that sword! It's said to change character if there is a need for it to. Who's to say it hasn't become the Master Gun?"

"It wouldn't," Adelaide said.

"Well, all this magic and destiny stuff is new to me."

"It will come back to you," Adelaide said cryptically. "Now, won't you choose your additional weapon?"

Link reached up and took an item off the wall. He fitted it onto his hand and stroked it. "I'm drawn to this one," he said, "whatever it does. It has a big chain wrapped around it, so it must be some kind of chain-weapon."

"That is a wise choice," Adelaide said, beaming, "though it is not a weapon proper. That is a clawshot. You use it to grapple onto things such as tree branches and pull yourself up. It is useful for getting to difficult to reach places. In a pinch, it can be used to grapple onto or stun an enemy. It is quite versatile. Once I show you how to use it, you should enjoy it a great deal. That one is an antique, too. I took it from the Royal Treasury. That very piece is said to have once belonged to the Hero of Twilight."

* * *

The weapons training Adelaide gave Link was just as grueling as the training that had come before. The woman was swift and light. She promised Link that she would not kill him, but there were moments when he did not trust that promise. He spent time shooting at bottles and cans for targets, then at inventive mechanical moving targets that Old Kakariko's few remaining townspeople built for him. Most of his training time was spent, however, dodging Adelaide's jian.

He sat on the steps of the Temple of the Goddesses at the north end of town one afternoon as Zelda sat beside him and wrapped the wounds on his arms and legs. He sighed deeply.

"She says she won't let me out of this town until I manage to best her. How can I? The woman's like a tornado! And she was your nanny when you were a kid?"

"Yep," Zelda replied brightly. "Hold still. She got you pretty good on your forearm here. You can say that with her watching over me, I felt very, very safe."

Link laughed. "I'm wondering why she doesn't take on Cecelia and the whole Royal Guard herself. She probably could. So, have you found any enlightenment praying at this old shrine? You're here almost every day."

"It gives me peace," Zelda answered. "There's a portion in the back that's sealed off from the rest. I'm sure something special rests beyond it, but I do not know the key. There is an inscription… it's hard to make out, some of the text has been worn away. What I can read has to do with three elements and I can make out 'fire.' The Goddesses have long been associated with certain elements… the fragments of the Triforce, too."

"Well, I pray more to Farore than to either of the others," Link admitted, looking out over Kakariko's rooftops to the desert beyond from the steps of the temple on its lofty perch. He winced as Zelda did a final tightening on his last bandage. "She's the one you're supposed to go to for courage; she's also associated with life…"

"And forests," Zelda said, "though I don't think either of us have ever seen a true forest… not like the ones in the history books, at least not in this lifetime."

"This lifetime?" Link asked. "People keep bringing that up to me. You, your Impa… I've heard of religion revolving around reincarnation, but the way Adelaide refers to it with me, it seems like something special."

"Well," Zelda sighed, "There is a legend passed down in the Royal Family that many of the bearers of the traditional name – my name – are a series of reincarnations of the same, ancient soul. I wasn't sure how much I believed that until recently. I've been having a lot of vivid dreams, even a few waking visions, all of things that seem to come out of other lifetimes. You're in most of them, too, Link. I know, Link, I just _know_... it all is true. Also, in the legend passed down by the Royal Family, the Heroes that have saved the land have all been the same person, a single soul given different lifetimes. In my dreams, Link, I have felt you – I know that it's you, that you're that soul."

"I haven't had any dreams like that," Link said. "If I'm really that old a soul, why don't I remember anything?"

"Maybe it's a blessing," Zelda said. "Not all of my visions are happy ones. You have hard and dangerous work to do in this life, so its best that you remain focused on it, I guess."

"I did have one strange vision," Link confessed. "It was when we were out in the desert, when I got attacked by the wolf. I wound up in a misty, empty world, talking to a guy who claimed to be the Hero of Twilight – you know, from the old 'Twilight Princess' legend. He did look quite a bit like me – in the face especially… his hair was cut a little different. He taught me a few moves with the sword, claimed to be the wolf and told me to watch out for other Heroes. I don't what he meant or what he was – a ghost, a hallucination because I bonked my noggin when I hit the ground, or what."

"Maybe he was a memory of who you once were," Zelda proposed. Maybe the Triforce of Wisdom grants me visions outright. Perhaps the Triforce of Courage that you carry isn't so straightforward, but it is unlocking old memories as you need them, enabling you to remember skills you've forgotten."

"Maybe, but that all seems awfully weird. It's almost easier to believe I met a ghost."

The sun was setting. The Hero and the princess watched it together quietly, wondering about deep things like destiny.

"Tell me about the 'Lost One." Link asked. "I never heard or read that legend. Your Impa keeps telling me that she's training me so tough because she doesn't want me to become another Lost One. What is that about?"

"The Lost One," Zelda began, "That story… is not a commonly told one. People like strong heroes, ones who succeed and achieve. The Lost One's tale is rather ignominious, I'm afraid. He was one of the great Heroes, but…"

"What happened?"

"As I remember the story, it's a bit grisly…"

"Shoot."

"Well," Zelda said sadly, "I haven't had any visions regarding it, but I know the tale as it was told to me. There's also a book on it in the Royal Library, but just the one book, unlike the other legends, which all have several. The Lost One was a Hero who came from one of the neighboring kingdoms… Calatia, I think. The great Demon had once again arisen and had taken Hyrule's throne. The Lost One heard of this and came to Hyrule's aid, either through the call of destiny or just because he feared that his own homeland would fall and he had a family to protect. Back in his era, people married and began having children very young, so it is said that the Lost One had a wife and children already by the time he was seventeen and answered the Hero's call.

"It is written that he traveled with a cursed Sage… a Sage that had been trapped in the form of a small black cat. The legend is unclear on the name – 'Kurone,' 'Kakari'.. 'Kasuto' – even that one book I found lists her as being called by all those names. Anyway, the Lost One is so called because he failed. He died upon the Demon's sword. The Demon King had his body laid out on a slab in the middle of the courtyard of the castle, with strict orders not to bury him so that everyone remaining in the area could see plainly that their Hero was dead. He bled upon the cobblestones and the carrion birds began to feast, taking his beautiful eyes, tearing at his fatal wound, and leaving behind their black feathers. The Sage, still cursed to her feline form, enlisted the aid of a pair of brave Hylian patriots to spirit his body away in the night to a wagon headed back to his homeland, where his family gave him a proper funeral."

"That's pretty sad," Link said with a nod.

"It is," Zelda agreed. "As the story was written, one of his sons became the ancestor to the next of the Heroes, the man that united the broken Triforce of Wisdom, rediscovered the lost Triforce of Courage and became the last Hero-King of Hyrule."

"If the Lost One was me at some point," Link decided, "I'm glad that I don't remember it."

"I wrote a letter to our embassy in the Twilight Realm," Zelda said. "The postman headed out to the Borderlands Portal with it yesterday. I do hope he gets there alright. Hyrule trades with the Realm, but they've not been heavily involved in our politics and wars for centuries. I just asked for a little help, if they are willing to provide it."

"The question is: are they more loyal to you or to Cecelia?"

"Emissary Celeste of the Realm always favored my late mother whenever he came to the palace, and I could sense that he held my sister in great suspicion."

"I hope you're doing the right thing, princess," Link said, "but I trust you."

"We should get back to our rooms at the inn before it gets dark. Is there anything you'd like to do?"

"I'd like to stop bleeding."

* * *

"Say mercy!"

A pair of red eyes looked up at him defiantly. The woman panted. The tip of Link's sword was mere centimeters from the end of her nose. Link was also panting, but not exhausted. He wasn't out of breath so much as he was excited. He felt a strong rushing sensation and his body throbbing with the strong beating of his heart.

"Say mercy…" he said again. "I beat you! I beat you fair and square. Concede defeat!"

Adelaide closed her eyes slowly. "Defeated," she whispered. Her ear caught the sound of Link's sword being embedded in the earth, shearing off a small chunk of her violet hair as the blade struck next to her head. As she got up, she started laughing.

"Very good, boy! Very good!" she praised. "Absolutely magnificent!"

Zelda, who was sitting on the front porch of the boarded up General Store, was clapping wildly.

"You are ready now," Adelaide said, clapping his shoulder. "It is time for you to leave this village and seek out the three Pendants of Virtue on the path to the Master Sword."

Link took his father's sword out of the ground and put it away. Zelda came to stand beside him. Townspeople surrounded the three, but gave them a wide berth. Link looked to where Adelaide was pointing, to the rock formations north of town, past the Temple of the Goddesses.

"Beyond the temple," Impa Adelaide began, "Is the source of Kakariko's water supply, or at least, it used to be. When I was a child, water use to flow from that hill right into that dry reservoir and would seep into the wells. I came back here a year ago and everything was dry. The people say that the water stopped flowing three years ago. The wells are almost empty. The city has died.

"There was a person who used to be the guardian of the water source. She was a hermit by the name of Shadow Felix. She is also the keeper of the Bone Temple, a temple up near the summit of the mountain dedicated to honoring and appeasing the spirits of the dead, in particular, beings that have died violent deaths. It stands as a monument to all of the wars in Hyrule's bloody history."

"Is it the Shadow Temple, like in the old stories?" Link asked.

"Many of us think it is," Adelaide declared, "but there is no way to be sure, for if it was the Shadow Temple, it has changed. I saw it once, in more peaceful times. The façade and pillars are constructed of bones – the bones of beasts, the bones of men – all layered and arranged. The interior is like a crypt or catacomb. As I said before, the temple's purpose is to put to rest the spirits of the forgotten and those whose lives were cut short."

"Sounds like a happy place," Link joked.

"Well, you're going there," Adelaide responded. "You see, the Bone Temple also contains a sacred treasure: one of the Pendants of Virtue. The temple keeps the Pendant of Courage, which is only fitting for how terrifying a place it is. You will have to walk through death. In any case, the keeper of the keys is Shadow Felix. She has not been seen since the water source dried up and it is feared that something terrible happened to her, and likely, to the Bone Temple. All that have been sent up to see what might have happened have not returned. If you are the true Hero, surely you will be able to get to the bottom of our mystery and retrieve the Pendant of Courage."

"And if I'm not?" Link asked.

"Well," said Adelaide, "I imagine that you will be killed. We assume that is what has happened to everyone else who's gone up there. Don't let my princess down, okay?"

Zelda grabbed his arm and shoulder. "I'm going with him," she announced.

Adelaide and Link let out a collective "What?"

"I'm going with him, up the hill. We've gone through many dangers thus far and I don't think he should be alone."

"I cannot allow this, Princess," Adelaide commanded, holding her hand out to Zelda. "It is the holder of the Triforce of Courage who must do the dangerous tasks. We cannot lose you. You are still my little Zelda and I will not lose you."

Zelda separated from Link and stared her Impa down. "You are not under royal mandate anymore," she said. "I'm not going to stand by and be the caged little princess any longer, waiting to be rescued! I'll take a bow and a derringer – I know I can manage that!"

"I may not be under royal mandate any longer, but I still feel it my duty to protect you. You're staying."

"I'm going!"

Rishi, the stable boy who'd been taking care of Rhiannon, spoke up. "Maybe Link should decide if she goes with him?"

Link's shoulders slumped and his face took on a look of defeat. He looked back and forth between the scariest woman in the world and the beautiful, but almost as scary princess.

"Well, if she really wants to come with me, I don't think there's any stopping her. If you try, she'll probably just sneak out after me. I think I could use a companion."

"Well, it's settled then," Zelda said. "Impa, fetch your finest bow, now."

* * *

Link and Zelda climbed up the slope of the mountain, over the rock formations that made up the north part of Old Kakariko.

"You alright?" Link asked as Zelda came up behind him.

"Yeah," the princess answered breathlessly, "It's quite a climb. Hmm… what is that up ahead there? It looks like the mouth of a cave."

Link looked to where she pointed. "Yeah, it does. And something is moving…"

The young man brought out his gun, but it was too late. His body impacted the ground heavily as a creature was upon him. He caught sight of another one out of the corner of his eye. Zelda let her arrows fly, only to have them land upon the ground.

Link wriggled and tried to get at his sword, all the while filled with panic and confusion. "How can this be?" he shouted, "They're dead! They're skeletons! How can they be moving around?"

"Stal-lions?" Zelda yelped.

A large, cream-white feline skull stared down at Link with glowing cyan spheres in its otherwise empty eye sockets. It jaw was open. Suddenly, there was a sound like a stick being banged upon a metal pot and the skeletal lion lifted its bony paw off his chest and took off running toward the cavern. He was joined by the other.

Link got up and brushed himself off. He and Zelda made sure each other were alright. They looked off to where the skeletons were running. They saw a woman in a black cloak banging a pot with a wooden spoon. The bony lions swarmed around her, rubbing their spines on her as though they were overgrown cats. She petted their bare skulls.

She looked over at Link and Zelda and shouted, "Going away!" Then she retreated to the interior of the cave.

"What was that?" Link exclaimed.

"I think we may have found Shadow Felix," Zelda said. She picked up what arrows off the ground she could find and put them back into her quiver. "Impa Adelaide didn't say anything about her having pets or guardians."

"What _were_ those things?" Link asked, as Zelda seemed like she knew somehow.

"Stal-lions," she answered, "I think. Monsters that are skeletal tend to be known by the prefix 'stal.' I've sure you've read of stalfos."

"Uh huh," Link nodded. "And stalhounds… but I didn't think they really existed. I thought that was one of those exaggerations in the stories. I've never heard of any stal-lions."

"I haven't either," Zelda confessed. "It's my best guess."

"I'm believing more of the impossible everyday," Link said. "Come on. If that woman is Shadow Felix, we definitely need to talk with her."

Link walked right up to the mouth of the large cave, Zelda behind him. They were greeted by the tense forms of the two stal-lions before they heard a shout.

"Lan, Ba, come inside here."

The creatures retreated into the cave to sit beside a cloaked figure that was hunched over a writing desk. The interior of the cavern looked like a cozy little home, furnished with a small fireplace, a few chairs, a simple bed of blankets, lanterns hanging from the stalactites, a modest table, a camp-stove and the writing desk. Hanging upon one wall of the cave was the enormous skull that looked like it belonged to a dragon out of myth, decorated in paint and colorful feathers.

"I thought I said to go away," the figure groused.

"Are…" Link began, "Are you Shadow Felix?"

"Who wants to know?" the figure said, looking up, removing the hood of her cloak from her head. The woman was a very light blonde with a few streaks of gray in her hair. Her eyes had a haunted look, set within high cheekbones. She did not look elderly, yet she did not look young. She looked like she was older than her years, perhaps outside of time somehow.

"I'm L-Link. This is Zelda. We've come from Kakariko Village. We heard that you were the keeper of the Bone Temple and the town's water source, which has dried up. Everyone down in town is wondering what happened to you."

"Like they care," the woman groused. "Yes, I am Shadow Felix. As long as you're here, I might as well make you some tea." She fired up the propane camp stove and put on a small kettle. She beckoned Link and Zelda to sit at her table and she served them politely, her stal-lions sitting on either side of her.

"These are Lan and Ba," she said, "Don't mind them. They're just my guardians. Better friends than humans, I say. They may be frightening in appearance, but they follow my orders and are as gentle as lambs unless I command them to be otherwise."

"Good…kitty?" Link said as he cautiously petted one of the skeletal beasts atop the skull.

"Yes, they are magic creatures," Shadow Felix explained, "reanimated from the dead. I could not let my poor pet lions go, I'm afraid, so I cast a spell to keep them with me forever."

"Why have you allowed the water source to dry up?" Zelda asked.

Shadow Felix set her teacup down. "The water source dried up when the temple went bad," she said. "The Bone Temple is a place for distressed spirits to find rest. Something has gone wrong in the land. Monsters have risen up, and they've taken over the temple, tainted it… The dead are not at rest. A terrible beast awoke in deepest chamber of the temple three years ago. I attempted, myself, to destroy it and I barely escaped. I sealed up the chamber and every chamber leading to and out, and I hid the keys in dangerous places within the temple."

"What manner of beast was it?" Zelda inquired.

"The Shadow Gleeok," the hermit answered, "It is a kind of dragon with many heads. It moves like a shadow without substance. I know not whether it is flesh and blood or the manifestation of the collective hatred of many angered souls. It is very powerful. There is only one weapon that can injure it."

"I've got a gun, and my father's sword, and Zelda's got her arrows and… another kind of gun," Link said brightly.

"No, no, no!" Shadow Felix said, standing up and wringing her hands. She went to the back of the cavern and brought something out from under a blanket. Link stared at it. The hermit held up a very long, very broad sword with two hands. Aside from its impressive size, Link marveled at another aspect of the blade. It was not made of steel, or iron, or any other metal. It looked like it was polished ivory.

"The Blade of Bone," Shadow Felix said. "This is a sacred treasure of the Bone Temple, entrusted to my keeping. I was able to wound the Shadow Gleeok with it those three years ago, but I was not strong enough to destroy it. It's said to be made from the bones of the ancient dragon, Volvagia itself. Only a dragon can defeat the dragon, only what is dead can quiet the dead. You two may take this blade if you think you can restore my temple, but others have tried. There is a teleportation spell on this treasure. If its wielder is killed, it will appear back inside my cave. I've had it reappear to me seven times already."

"The people left in Old Kakariko have no place left to go. There water supply is drying up. They need our help," Zelda said.

"Well, I'm supposed to go get that Pendant of Courage your Impa said was in the Bone Temple, right? I'll take the blade."

Shadow Felix carried the Blade of Bone and lead Link and Zelda outside. She pointed to a narrow trail leading further up the dusty mountainside. "The Bone Temple is up there," she said. "Its front is made from the remains of the dead. You cannot miss it."

The hermit handed Link the ivory blade. "When you do not wish to carry it in your hands," she said, "there is something you can do with it. Just tap it right here, where the hilt joins the blade." She tapped it and the sword suddenly shrank to a tiny size, the size of a small charm or pendant. "There you go!" she said. "You can put it in your pocket. When you want to wield it, just bring it out, give it a little squeeze and it will pop right back to normal."

"Every day these days," Link began, "I have to remind myself that I'm not in some sort of weird dream."

Shadow Felix patted him on the shoulder. "Magic is largely hidden these days. Open your eyes and you'll see more of it."

After touching him, she stopped and stared at him strangely. "I sense something from you," she said.

"He is this era's Hero," Zelda chimed in.

"Is he now…." Shadow Felix said. Quite rudely, she grabbed Link's left glove right off his hand. She stared at the mark on the back of it, mesmerized. "You are," she said, "which means that I can trust this task to you. Take my blade. Take it wherever you need to go."

"Can I have my glove back?" Link asked. She handed it back to him and looked down. Lan and Ba, who sat by her sides, also looked down. The trio looked very meditative.

"Clear the temple," Shadow Felix said slowly, "and the dead will be at peace."

Suddenly, the two stal-lions collapsed into two heaps of bones and Shadow Felix's robe fell. Link stepped cautiously toward the robe. Staring up at him was a skull with long blond hairs clinging to the scalp. "She was…" he began.

"She was dead," Zelda said. "A ghost."

Without warning, the remains of both the woman and the lions vanished completely.

"Link," Zelda said, taking him by the arm, "I don't think she escaped the Shadow Gleeok."

"Come on," Link answered. "We have a last request to fulfill."

* * *

End Chapter 5.

Turn to the Next.


	6. I Believe We Met in Better Times

**THE GREAT DESERT**

**Chapter 6: I Believe We Met in Better Times **

"Snap!"

The sound was clear, metallic, and too familiar. The lock fell away.

"That's the eighth key you've broken!" Zelda complained. "Don't you know how to turn them gently?"

"I can't help it!" Link countered, "They're all rusted and the lock mechanisms… nevermind. We only have one key left, the last one we found… that big one the length of my arm on my belt. I sure hope it's the last one we'll need."

He pushed the door free into yet another musty chamber. Link did not like this place. The whole of this labyrinthine temple had been very dark, with the only light provided by sun that filtered in weakly through skylights in the roof. The light had grown weaker the deeper within the temple they ventured, prompting Zelda to bring out her matches and a candle. They'd found a lantern left behind on the wall of one cavern with oil still in it that smelled of olives. They did not know how much longer it would hold out.

Zelda suddenly set the lantern down and pressed her back against Link's. He knew what this meant. As one, she drew her bow and knocked an arrow and he drew his gun. It was amazing what bullets could do to undead creatures. Just a few months ago, Link wouldn't have believed these creatures existed if you'd told him. Now, he was pumping .45 caliber bullets into the leathered flesh of moaning zombies. Zelda called them ReDeads, but Link did not care. Their cracked hides split and shredded all the same, leaving them to fall and return to the dust to which they should belong. Link got so good at picking them off that he took to between-the-eye shots with them. The secret, of course, was not getting too close to the things.

His first encounter with them hadn't been triumphant. Link had wandered ahead into a narrow, dark corridor and was frozen in place by a high-pitched scream that constricted his heart in panic and paralyzed his limbs. All he could do was stand there, helpless, as a ReDead climbed onto his back and began doing indecent things to it. Link was in his clothes, including his blessedly thick blue jeans, but he still felt like a leg to an excited dog. He'd felt his spirit being sucked away – tiredness, loneliness and a general, indescribable pain until several swift arrows implanted themselves into the beast and it fell off him. He'd thanked Zelda for the cover, lied and said he was alright.

The creatures that Zelda called Stalfos fell quite well to Link's skull-shattering bullets, but he found his father's sword and the shield he'd been given by Adelaide to be more effective in dealing with them. In their case, Zelda's skilled archery did nothing, but some gunpowder bombs they'd found in a chamber with swinging and floating platforms suspended above a deep chasm had proven very effective weapons against them, as well.

Chasms, inexplicable swinging pendulum blades that hung from the ceiling, ReDeads, Stalfos, strange phantom creatures that only fell to the Blade of Bone that Shadow Felix had given him, the musty, distinctive sour smell of bone, the strong rusted-iron scent of blood, the scent of rot, decay – old meat… the darkness and the stupid keys he'd find that would snap whenever he put them into their proper locks… Link hated the Bone Temple. It was extremely clear that no living being was meant to pay homage here. This was a place for the dead and only for the dead.

And he did not want Zelda or himself to be among them.

The two looked upon the remains on the floor. Zelda slung her bow on her back and picked up the lantern. They made their way down a flight of steps to a huge double-door with an impressive lock and chains. Link took the long key from his belt and unlocked it. To his surprise, the key did not break, but it stayed stuck within the lock as it fell to the floor, releasing the slightly rusted chains. He and Zelda cautiously stepped inside an enormous chamber which was tiled in large, square stone tiles, but had a ceiling like a natural cavern. Aside from some fallen stone pillars and scattered bones from indeterminate specie, the chamber appeared to be empty.

Link sneezed from the dust. "There doesn't seem to be anything here," he said.

"Do not be deceived," Zelda replied, looking around, her stance very tense, "The greatest dangers more often than not come unseen. I feel something very dark here."

Link, too, was weighted down with a feeling of oppression. Suddenly, he felt something slam into his back, leaving a wet sensation. He regained himself and swiveled 'round to see something that looked like a gigantic lizard's head, dark gray and translucent curl up into the air. It looked like a cross between snake and smoke.

"Link, you're bleeding!" Zelda exclaimed. Another smoke-snake head appeared out of nowhere and dived straight for her. Link shot at it, but his bullet went right through.

Zelda dodged and rolled. She shot an arrow, which did nothing to injure the phantom but did gain its attention. The head chased the arrow like a dog chasing a thrown stick. "Use the sword!" she cried, "The ivory one! That's what Shadow Felix said to do! I'll play decoy!"

More of the Shadow Gleeok's heads appeared, their necks curling up from a central area of the chamber where there appeared to be the fossilized foot bones of some dinosaur. Link brought out the Blade of Bone and enacted its full size. He swung and hacked at the heads flying all around him. Zelda ran about the chamber, letting her arrows sail high into the air to break upon the ceiling and walls, capturing the attention of several heads so that Link could concentrate on fighting those closest to him.

Several of the beast's heads dissipated into nothingness. Several more appeared. It seemed to both of the little humans within the dragon's chamber that there was an endless supply, hundreds of them. Despite her best efforts to lure them away, Zelda watched as head after head swept into Link, tearing into him. He'd yelp, regain his composure and keep fighting. His blood flew and dripped as he jumped and danced. She despaired as she saw him, for a moment, put his hands upon his knees and pant.

Link's ears twitched as he heard a voice. It was not Zelda's and certainly wasn't his own. "Hey!" it cried, "Watch out!"

He turned 'round to see a Gleeok head coming right for him from behind. He ducked and rolled out of the way.

"Listen! Look!"

The young man leapt out of the way of another diving head. He brought down the Blade of Bone to cleave it. The mysterious voice kept telling him to look, listen and watch out. He did and handily dispatched every flying head until only one remained.

It dove right for Zelda, toothy mouth agape. Before she could dodge or run, it caught her in the right side. Link let out an inhuman roar and charged after the thing. He leaped into the air and stabbed downward, impaling the phantom's forehead. It vanished. Link reduced the ivory sword to charm size and pocketed it as he made his way to Zelda. She staggered to her feet, grabbing her side, which had a deep and obvious wound.

"Zelda…" he said helplessly, "You're hurt."

She gave him a saucer-eyed stare. "Not as bad as you," she managed. "D-don't look at yourself. Try to walk. We have to get out of here."

The heat of battle was wearing off. Link felt stiff… and wet, like he'd dived into a reservoir. He hurt, but the pain was more of a dull throb than anything else – the kind of pain one does not notice upon receiving a wound, but only feels later one when one has calmed down or takes notice of it. Why did he suddenly feel cold and like he was dropping down somewhere? Dizziness washed over him. He reached out to Zelda. She was hurt and he wanted to help her walk. He fell, first to his knees, then flat on his back.

The princess called his name. Darkness clouded his vision. Pain enrobed itself around him. He felt himself choking and tasted blood in his mouth.

"Stay with me," Zelda said. Painfully, she knelt beside Link and brushed his face with her fingertips. Her head swam and her side throbbed. She was pretty sure that he was dying and that her wound was also fatal. She had to keep fighting, though, for as long as she could and to keep this young man with her for as long as she could. If she got back to Kakariko, there was a chance they both might survive. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking, or the strength of the human survival instinct, but the princess had heard of people escaping seemingly fatal situations and surviving seemingly fatal wounds.

He choked again and twitched. Blood stained her clothes. His blood, her blood, commingling. She bent down, her face to his face. "Maybe next lifetime?" she whispered before giving his bloody lips a soft kiss.

"HEY!"

Zelda's head whipped around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"HEY! LISTEN!"

Zelda found the voice's source and smiled. Her heart lifted immediately. They still existed, and here of all places.

"Follow me!"

"Can you bring them here?" Zelda asked. "I'm not sure I can get up… I know I'm not strong enough to carry him."

"Can't," the voice replied forlornly. "Try to carry or drag your friend if you can. I'm so sorry."

* * *

_Drip, drip, drip. _

There was a rather pleasant coolness and an unbearable stinging sensation on raw muscles and organs flayed of skin. There came a heavy liquid feeling of something invading fresh cavities never meant for its touch. Link was helpless against these sensations. All he saw was darkness. He couldn't even moan. He heard strange tinkling noises and the running of water. The young man felt and heard his own pulse in his ears growing steadily fainter. Where was Zelda? There was a panicked animal fear – then an inexplicable feeling of peace. Breath came with more difficulty and left him. Something was calling him away – a new land… a distant oasis…another time. Why was this a familiar feeling, like an old friend or enemy? He definitely knew this feeling, though he thought it should be foreign to him all the same.

He heard Zelda calling his name, as if through water or cotton. He wanted to tell her that he was sorry, that he'd botched everything up after all. He felt like he was floating and fading away and he was powerless to stop it, no matter how much he wanted to hold on.

At least he wasn't feeling any pain anymore. That had just stopped.

He was about to reach out and grab the hand of a Goddess…to let her guide him to the distant oasis…

The thrum of his pulse became a whisper.

His heart stopped.

…

Red. Everything was red. He seemed to remember darkness, but he wasn't sure. He remembered being called by something… white light, the power of gold, hands of silk, then a distinct falling sensation. He'd been sure that he'd been dying and he knew he wasn't dead because the pain was back, though it wasn't as bad as it had been before. He vaguely remembered being dragged across the floor, the rough stone brick biting into his back through his shirt and the back of his vest. He remembered Zelda's voice… what was she saying? She was begging him not to die and all he could do was rise toward that mysterious thing that was calling him, higher and in.

Zelda! Was she okay?

Link felt slightly cold. He realized that he was wet and he heard the sounds of gently running and sloshing water. It sank into his ears in an irritating fashion. The young man cracked his eyes open and found that he could see. There were lights above him, floating, bouncing. He heard many high pitched voices like the tinkling of bells or the chirping of songbirds, but they formed words he understood.

"The kid could use some chain mail, couldn't he? I'm not a fan of the modern fashions."

"Wha?" Link asked as he slowly sat up, letting water drip off his skin.

"Hey! Don't move around too much yet! We've sealed your wounds but we aren't done recharging your blood! You're still weak!"

Bouncing balls of light were everywhere, mostly white, but colored subtly pink. They appeared to have wings – the lacy wings of insects, as large as the wings of dragonflies. He stared at one that was hovering near one of his shirt sleeves. There was a tiny strand of light next to it, looking like a needle and thread. A tear in his shirt was being mended. Link looked harder at the winged halo of light and saw a small, glowing woman. He could not tell if she was wearing anything or if she was nude, for the light emitted by her little body was very strong. It was then that Link noticed that he did not have any open wounds. He ached all over, and he could see trails of blood swirling in the water around him, dissipating into nothingness, but he did not feel torn skin anymore. Aside from a general weak feeling, he felt unhurt.

Link blinked. He grabbed his head. "I must have fallen hard," he said to no one in particular. "I'm seeing things… or maybe I'm dead. I'm somewhere off in Fairyland."

One of the balls of light giggled. "This isn't Fairyland," it said in a high-pitched female voice, "but we are fairies. This is a sacred spring, one of the few left!"

"And they're talking," Link said, again, to himself. Then he realized something and stood up. "Gah, my gun's gotten wet! The water will rust the mechanisms! I've gotta take it apart and clean it now! And I bet water's gotten into my scabbard – Dad's sword!"

He turned and immediately saw a black-haired lump on the edge of the water. His heart felt like it had leapt into his throat. "Zelda!"

He knelt beside her. Blood flowed around her, dripping into the water and tainting it pink. A swarm of lacy-winged orbs were spinning and dancing around her. Link felt her face and her neck. A pulse still resounded. She was still breathing.

"We'll take care of her," a fairy said, "Don't you worry. It's not easy to heal a punctured liver and a damaged kidney, but our powers are better than any human medicine. She saved your life. You were worse off than she was and she dragged you here, even as she was – quite a miracle in and of itself, I'd say. The poor dear must have been in so much pain… But you were very bad off, sir. In fact, just she got you in the water, you actually died for a moment. We had to capture your spirit and force it back into your body! We can do that, you know – restart the heart the instant it stops, but only then. Much longer and you would have been a goner. You need to be more careful!"

Link was only half-listening, checking Zelda over, worrying over her frantically. He watched with amazement as the ugly tear in her side and middle began to mend. The dark blood gelled, then stopped and the skin seemed to knit itself over it. The ragged edges of Zelda's clothing likewise mended together. Several fairies bumped into him, flapping their irritating little wings over his nose. He heard a distinctly male fairy voice command him to leave them to their work and to wait for her to wake up.

Link sat upon a set of steps that lead into the waters of the spring and sighed. Everything was walled in white marble. There were gorgeous bass reliefs lining the area near the ceiling in an ovoid arc.

"Where were you little guys when I was a kid?" he asked forlornly, watching the spots of light flit about. "I wanted so badly to meet a fairy when I was a little boy. I wanted… a friend. I'd stopped believing… why do you show yourselves to me now, when I'm this?"

"The springs are few. We cannot live in lands without water and this is a sacred place," someone said.

There was a little winged light orb that was different from the others. Instead of a pink aura, its light had a bluish cast. The tiny woman hovered and stared at him, as if she was unsure of what to say or do and she was trying to figure something out.

"Hey there," Link said, holding out his hand to her, "Are you alright, miss? I'm okay. Your friends helped me."

The blue fairy sniffled and looked up into his eyes. "You look very familiar," she said in a strong but spritely voice, "but I am not sure if you are a boy I once knew. You… you feel very familiar, too, but I'm not sure. I'm sorry to bother you, sir."

The little fairy turned her back and began to float away.

"Oh, don't go!" Link said. "I'm sure you'll find who you're looking for."

The fairy turned around and floated back towards him. "It isn't likely. He was just a human – a Hylian, like you. He would have died centuries ago."

"Aw, I'm sorry," Link said, holding out his hand for her to alight on. "If you're lonely, maybe we can talk a little. What is your name, little one?"

"Navi," the fairy said. "I don't really belong here. I'm not a healing fairy. This place is a 'hospital' for travelers, but I am not a doctor. I cannot heal people like everyone else here can. This is one of the only places left where I can live comfortably – the surface is so hot and harsh. I'm something of a researcher. I know a lot – about animals and monsters, stuff like that, but I cannot do my research out on the surface anymore because places with water are few and far between and I'll die if I travel long without water. As you can see, my wings are pretty tiny, so long distances are hard for me!"

"I suppose you can hang around with me if you're lonely," Link said. "I always keep a couple of canteens with me and I'm on a quest - maybe that can help your research."

"A quest?" the fairy asked, her top wings sticking straight up.

"Yep. My name's Link and-"

Before he could finish the sentence, he found himself tackled to the floor by the surprisingly strong little blue fairy, which was hugging his chest and weeping. "Link! Liiiiiiiiiink! It is you! I thought I'd never see you again! You've been reborn… I didn't think I'd catch up to any of your incarnations! I've missed you so much!"

Link slowly sat up, his head still swimming from the residual weakness left by his healed wounds and blood loss. He cupped the little fairy on his chest as he wondered if she suffered from a form of insanity. "Hey," he soothed, "You don't have to cry. Can you tell me what you're talking about?"

"You mean you don't remember, Link?" she asked, lighting once again upon his open palm.

"He doesn't." It was Zelda's voice. She slowly sat up from her place on the fountain's floor. Link turned his head immediately.

"Zelda…" Navi said, flitting around her. "Your hair got dark this time."

"Yes," Zelda said, smiling softly.

"And you cut it so short…"

"I had to do a little hiding… from my own family this time around," Zelda replied sadly, "But I'm glad to see you again, Navi. It has been much too long, too many lifetimes. It is nice to see the legendary fairy agelessness in action."

Navi flew back over to Link and sat on his left shoulder.

"I am remembering bits and pieces of my past lives;" Zelda said calmly, "Link doesn't remember any of his yet. He may never come to that knowledge. I remember you, Navi, but you are new to him now."

Navi's wings drooped for a moment. Then she tackle-hugged Link again. "That means we can become friends all over again!" she piped cheerily. "Hi, my name is Navi!"

Link laughed. "Alright, my name is Link, pleased to meet you."

"I'm so happy I found you again! I can be a great guardian! I can pinpoint the weaknesses of dangerous creatures and really help you out!"

"Wait a minute… was that your voice I heard in the Shadow Gleeok's chamber? I kept hearing someone telling me to look and watch out when its heads were coming for me. I don't think I could have slain it if I didn't have that voice telling me to dodge."

"Uh huh," Navi said. "I tried to help the others that came up to the temple, but they didn't listen…You did so well with the other monsters – I didn't have the courage to speak up until you were really in trouble."

Navi cuddled up to Link's chest. "It's so nice to hear your heartbeat again. Hey! There's something strange under your shirt here…" Quickly, she flew down into Link's shirt and came out, withdrawing a small, shining green pearl upon a golden chain that was hanging around his neck. Link took the pearl into his hand and stared at it.

"The Pendant of Courage," Zelda said. "You did it."

"But how did it get on me?" Link asked. "Magic," he said, answering his own question, "Oh, I can't wait to dangle this in your Impa's face!"

Zelda laughed softly. "Well, I'm feeling better. I guess we can go back to town."

Link nodded and got up. He grabbed his wide-brimmed hat from the shore of the spring and put it on his head.

"I'll lead you out of the spring," Navi said, "Just follow me."

* * *

Link and Zelda walked up into the daylight and onto a path down the mountain that lead by the Temple of the Goddesses. They talked as they walked – mostly about the Hero of Time. Navi said that she found it weird to hear Link when he talked about the legends he'd read as a kid, since he spoke of the Hero of Time as another person and because there were a few things amiss between the ages-long stories he recounted and the history that she remembered having lived.

Navi continued her part of the story. "And then I left," she said. "It broke my heart, but I heard a voice beckoning me on, telling me that if I did not leave Link that he'd never be able to be fully independent, to grow up as he should. Fairies of my type were for the Kokiri children, not adults and Hylians."

"You're with me now and I'm Hylian… and a grown-up." Link said.

"You're on a quest, I have an excuse," Navi insisted. "Besides, I don't know if leaving you…er… leaving the Hero of Time was the right thing to do. I went back to the forest. I never found a Kokiri child that was right for me. I spent the rest of my days, along with some of the other fairies, being a caretaker of the forests… before they disappeared."

Zelda gave her a nod and patted Link's shoulder. "He's going to bring the forests back," she said.

Link gave her a skeptical look. "Remember, princess," he said, "I'm in this because I want to avenge my uncle and I want this country right again – what I mean is, I want the palace to be safe for you. The desert's big… I'm not sure there's any way to go back to the way things were in history."

"The legend will unfold," Princess Zelda said cryptically.

"Aren't the Kokiri extinct, anyway?"

The trio made their way past the temple and the large tree that stood on the east end of it. Link gave it a wide berth, as did Zelda. Navi floated very close to it.

"Careful, Navi," Link warned. "That's a mesquite. Don't you see those long thorns? With your size, you might impale yourself."

Navi floated back to Link's hat, resting atop the brim. "A huge tree that can survive on little water," she marveled. "And well-protected from predators. A mysterious thing…"

"Disguised yourself well, didn't you, you old rascal," she whispered to herself so that her Hylian companions could not hear. There were mysteries that were meant to be revealed only in time.

* * *

"I got it!" Link gloated as he let the green pearl dangle on its golden chain from his fingers in front of Impa Adelaide's nose. "I got it; I got it, I. Got. It!"

She brushed his hand away. "Very good," she said, "but from the story you've related, you nearly got my dear sweet Zelda killed."

Link looked down, suddenly fascinated by his boots. He slipped the chain back over his head and neck. Navi flitted about in front of the warrior-woman's nose. "Show Link some respect!" she demanded, "He almost died back there, too!"

Link grunted uncomfortably.

"Not something that should be a source of pride," Adelaide said, "and not something that gains much of my sympathy." She clapped Link's shoulder. He looked up cautiously. "You will need to watch yourself better, kid." She turned to Navi and gave the fairy a small smile. "Be assured that I am hard on him because he is our last best hope."

"I've got the Pendant of Courage," Link said, "I need the two others… I don't know where to find them."

"From the tales I've heard," Adelaide explained, "The Pendant of Power is to be found at the Glass Waterfall, far in the north. The Pendant of Wisdom is slightly closer to here. It lies northeast, in the dry bed portion of Lake Hylia – or what was once Lake Hylia. It is said that the Pendant is kept in a secure place within a structure known as the Steel Temple. Which one you seek out first is up to you. After you have all three Pendants of Virtue in your possession, you should go to the Painted Canyon, past the Drywood Waste. Once there, you will know what to do."

"Alright," Link said with a nod. "I've got my gun cleaned, I polished up Dad's sword… it will not take long to get some traveling supplies ready… get Rhiannon…"

"Rhiannon," Navi said with a laugh. "Not Epona this time, but still a goddess?"

"Here," Adelaide said, thrusting something silver toward the young man. "Take it."

Link took the hip flask and looked at it, puzzled.

"Medicine, of sorts," Adelaide said. "It's not any of the great potions of ages past. Mushroom-brew is hard to come by in these arid lands. It won't cure you if you get hurt, but it may keep you going… its good for sterilizing tools in a pinch and its one of the best painkillers I know."

"What is it?" Link asked innocently.

"Whiskey," the Impa replied with a broad smile. "Use it in moderation. Drunkards make for poor heroes."

She nodded to him. "Turn around, your back to me," she said. "I have something else to give you."

Link turned around obediently, his eyes darting to try to see what Adelaide was doing behind him. She reached her right hand over him to show him a small object in her hand. It glowed orange, a perfect flame in a perfect ball shape, encased within a clear crystal. It floated over the palm of her hand.

"This is sacred magic," she explained. "I have been keeping it safe. You have gained the Pendant of Courage, which tells me that you are brave enough to handle it. I am entrusting it to you. It is now yours to use and to keep safe."

Without warning, she snatched her hand away and slammed into Link's right bicep. He roared in agony as he felt the crystal dig into his flesh and what came immediately after. He felt like he was burning alive. A heat stronger than the sun coursed through his veins as quick as lightning. Then, it was over. Adelaide brushed his arm with her fingertips delicately and then pointed to a scrawny greasewood bush.

"Set that bush on fire," she ordered.

"Huh?" Link asked.

"Concentrate upon the bush. Will it and the incantation will come to you."

Link looked at the bush for several seconds and nothing happened. Navi flitted to and from his hat. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. He realized what needed to be done and the strong fire coursed through him once again, only this time, it was warming and welcoming, like a hearth side after working in the rain. He arched his back downwards and sent his right hand out before him, his fingers clawed. "Fuego de Din" he whispered under his breath. A wall of flame spread out around him. Adelaide stood back. Navi stayed under Link's hat, sheltered in his hair. As the wall of fire faded off, the bush was set ablaze. Adelaide clapped.

"Excellent," she said.

"What did I just do?" Link demanded.

"I have given you the Essence of Flame," the woman answered, "otherwise known as Din's Fire. Quite apparently, your body and spirit can handle it. If they were unable to, you would have simply been burnt to ashes."

Link scowled. "I don't like being an experiment," he said.

"Stop complaining. You have something new in your arsenal, and something quite holy, at that."

A pair of townspeople frantically beat the flaming greasewood with blankets, trying to put the fire out. They coughed from the smoke and yelled at Adelaide regarding starting uncontrollable wildfires. "You're our town protector, but don't think we won't throw you in the old jail if you burn down half the town, woman!" one of the men said.

She and Link both laughed. Link wondered if Navi had fallen asleep in his hair. He could feel soft little wingbeats brush his scalp. Somehow, that felt really familiar.

Zelda walked up to her Hero and her Impa, carrying a loaded knapsack. "Alright, Link, where are we headed to next?"

"We?" he said. "No, no, out of the question. You're staying here. This town is peaceful, a nice place to stay. I'm going on alone… well, with Navi and Rhiannon, but… you know what I mean."

"What do you mean 'out of the question?'" the princess demanded, "We are in this together! Don't you DARE tell me that I can't fight, because you saw me fight!"

"Zelda," Link sighed, his ears dropping slightly, "You were magnificent, but… but… you almost got killed, okay? When I saw you lying there at the spring, blood all around you…I… I… Listen, Zelda, I _never_ want to see you like that again, _ever_. You almost died because you followed me… I just don't want that to happen again. It will give me peace of mind if you stay here with your Impa for a while. The country needs you, Zelda… more than it needs me. Please understand."

"May I remind you," Zelda started, "that YOU were the one worse off! According to the fairies back there at the spring, you actually kicked it for a few moments! I dragged your half-butchered carcass all the way to that spring… not to mention shooting the ReDead off your back… you owe me your life, _Hero_."

"It's true," Link admitted. "I do owe you my life many times over… Please allow me to return the favor? I really want you to be safe… Impa Adelaide is right – It is I who should be in danger, not you. I know that I'm your "Chosen Hero" and all, but if I'm lost along the way, what is the nation losing? Just some kid from a backwater farm that most people are wantin' dead or alive, anyway. If you're lost… the royal heir and the bloodline are gone, too. I don't think your remaining sister's got the guts to take back the throne like you do."

Zelda had tears in her eyes. "Link, you don't have to be alone…"

"Please…Zelda. If you want to help me, give me a little peace of mind."

Adelaide placed a hand upon the princess' shoulder. "Let him go," she said. "You do believe in him, right? Then let him go."

* * *

Not an hour later, Link was streaking across the eastern desert on Rhiannon, beginning the long journey to Lake Hylia as dusk was beginning to fall.

As they watched him go, Zelda turned to her Impa. "I can be stronger than I am and you know it," she said. "And I can remain hidden from sight. I wish to follow him without him finding me. I wish to be his shadow."

Adelaide gasped. "Surely you do not mean-"

"I do," Zelda said. "It is how you came into the Order, is it not? None have been born into it since ancient days."

"The magic is very old," Adelaide replied, "And it is very dangerous. It will draw from all your energies, including the Triforce of Wisdom in your case, specifically. With it's fading, it could…"

"Impa…"

"He wants to protect you. It is in his nature. It is also in mine."

"The cycle might be broken in this age, Impa," Zelda said dourly, "If that happens; I do not wish to leave my country in rack and ruin. His survival is vital – though he does not believe it, it is more vital than my own. Teach me the shadow magic. Transform me into a Sheikah."

* * *

The sun came up like thunder over the barren land. Link rode toward it, squinting his eyes. He kicked Rhiannon into a gallop through a corridor of natural stone, banded in tan, white and red. He did not notice the young Sheikah woman perched atop one of the rock ledges, watching him as he passed.

"You forget," she whispered to herself, "that we protect each other."

* * *

End Chapter 6.

Turn to the Next.


	7. Static Steel and Hearts of Glass

**THE GREAT DESERT**

**Chapter 7: Static Steel and Hearts of Glass**

Tha-rump! Tha-rump! The hoof beats sounded on the hardpan earth. She didn't have to ride this hard, but her animal had been bred for hard travel and wanted to run. The two guards that traveled with her likewise had trouble stifling the spirits of their mounts. Twilit steeds were lively beasts and might not be rightly called horses. They were something all their own, with their arching, flat horns, their shaggy hair and fanged mouths.

The creatures really were something a little more like wolves than horses.

The queen rode hard through the dusk over a place once known alternately as No Man's Land, Ourland and New Hyrule – that is what she heard the kingdom was called after the ocean's waters retreated. She rather liked the name "No Man's Land" because it indicated a certain freedom, or "Ourland" because it denoted a cooperation among its people. "New Hyrule" had never felt right to her. The last she'd heard from her emissaries, the land was just Hyrule once again – as it always had been and was always destined to be, perhaps.

Midna and her entourage had cleared the Borderlands Portal some hours back. She had been surprised as any when the natural rip between the Light World and the Twilight Realm had begun to appear at a certain set of mountains. It began with people in the Southern Region of the Realm seeing strange auroras in the sky that touched down to the earth. Hunters and explorers had come back with stories of having slipped into a "terrible land of harsh light" to come back, thankful to be alive. This had happened many years after Midna had shattered the official gate between the worlds – the Twilight Mirror. The queen, young back then, had thought about finding a way to seal off this unexpected tear, but, instead, decided to investigate it and eventually put it to her use.

Time passed differently in the Twilight Realm than it did in the Light World – much differently. Twili were long-lived beings, but beyond that, the very flow of time worked differently between the two places. Had she lived for a long while in the Light World, she would, by all rights, be dead by now from age. As it was, she was in that prime of life where one can no longer be called young, but cannot yet be called old. Perhaps it was only that light dwellers were short-lived, as mayflies to a Twili – but many thought that a light dweller living in the Twilight Realm would live almost as long because of the way that time worked there. The Twilight Realm had a leisurely pace while the Light was always speeding. Queen Midna had to keep reminding herself that centuries had passed in Hyrule with many great events. Certain events that she remembered having taken a part in seemed like only a number of years ago, a decade or so, perhaps – not immediately recent, but not long ago to her, either.

She had to remind herself of the differing flow of time the first time she'd passed through the portal. She'd known then that centuries had not passed, but a number of years had. She was eager then to get in contact with old friends, even as she'd reminded herself that they had moved on with their lives and she was likely to be greeted with wrinkled faces. When she'd emerged from the Borderlands Portal, back then, she hadn't even come out in Hyrule, but, instead, in a neighboring kingdom called Holodrum. The portal was right on the border between the two. That kingdom was a place once known for its seasons. Like much of the rest of the Light World, it now had only two: "Hot" and "Not as hot."

Midna had wanted to see one particular face back then. In a small way, even now, she pined for Link. She knew by the time she'd found her way back to Hyrule via the portal, that he'd have gone on with life, grown older, and perhaps started a family of his own - even as she remained in her insulated near-eternity. She'd headed straight for Hyrule Castle and was pleased to see a huge bronze in Castle Town's square dedicated to the Hero of Twilight. She'd met a young man in town and thought it was Link for a moment, wondering if he'd been caught in his own near-eternity. His features were uncanny, save for a few subtle differences upon closer inspection. The man informed her that he was the queen's son and that she had been expecting her, ever since seeing her in a dream.

Zelda had grown into the light wrinkles of middle-age. Midna spoke very long with her regarding memories and the portal. Midna was introduced formally to Prince Midnight, Zelda's son, and to Princess Linette, her daughter. King Patrick was away on a diplomatic mission. Midna asked quite eagerly about Link and requested to see him.

Zelda and Prince Midnight led her to the back of the palace grounds – to a grave. It was a well-kept but old grave.

Midna remembered her knees failing her. She remembered collapsing on the ground beside it and weeping softly. Zelda explained that Link had been her first husband and that Prince Midnight was his son, named for her. Princess Linette was her daughter with Patrick, named, with his consent, after Link. He had been killed while on a mission with his friends, the Group, many years prior, when Midnight was just a little boy.

Then Zelda had said, cryptically; "I feel that he is at peace, awaiting his next lifetime."

Midna didn't see much value in coming to the Light World after that. She set up relations between her palace and Hyrule Castle when the times allowed for it and saw it valuable to maintain peace and friendliness on a political level, but now was the first time she had come to the Light since then. She'd heard stories out of Hyrule regarding the powers of the Goddesses and Heroes carried on rumor all the way to her throne. They meshed well with the Realm's own legends regarding a curse that kept a soul bound to continual rebirth and repeated death.

Midna didn't want to meet that cursed swordsman again. She wanted to move on and to let him live however many lifetimes he was bound to live – better off for not knowing her. She did not know why she decided to answer the plea of this age's Princess Zelda – also a cursed being, it would seem. She wrote down startling memories in her letter. As Midna questioned, she remembered why. Desert was beginning to spread into the Twilight Realm. Yes… she was in this for selfish reasons, as always – to protect _her_ people, _her_ land. Such reasons were prudent.

But what was she going to say or feel once she saw Link again?

* * *

Link walked slowly along the rails, leading Rhiannon by the reins. Navi floated along beside him. When she got tired, she rested on his hat. They'd found an old railroad track, rusted with age. The ties were dried and cracked. Link suspected that this was the old Lake Hylia Line and so decided to follow it. It was long out of use – since the lake had ceased to become a grand tourist destination. Link suspected that it also had to do with a shortage of coal in this part of the nation. There were still some rail lines in use in the far east and south – though nothing like the days that Link had read about when there'd been the rail boom. Rumor had it that some trains were even armed for war with cannons mounted into them. Bandit gangs would have great difficulty robbing those kinds of trains, he mused.

"So," Link said after a long silence, "I am on a mission to collect three pendants so I can gain the Master Sword… so I can assassinate the president."

"Yep!" Navi chimed much too brightly.

"It all seems so weird to me. I don't even care about President Ganondorf, its Cecelia that I'm after."

"They are connected, Link" Navi explained.

"I know. That's what Zelda said."

"Ganondorf's been known to take on people to use. Cecelia is probably his pawn this time around."

"Zelda thinks that maybe Ganondorf is the pawn this time."

"It isn't likely. He is an ancient evil, just as you are an ancient good. In any case, to put Hyrule right, you'll have to face the both of them and for that you'll need the sacred sword. Zelda and I both think that the world will begin to mend itself once you succeed, with the return of the forests once the powers of the Triforce are in balance again."

"I don't want to promise anything, Navi," Link replied. "I just feel like I'm caught up in a bunch of things I do not understand."

"You felt the same way when I knew you before," the fairy said. "Don't worry. You did well then. You'll be magnificent again."

The rails vanished into the sand. They curved and then were buried. Link found himself looking out upon a sprawling depression in the earth, bone-white and sparkling in the sands… a vast salt flat. He wrinkled his nose when he caught a scent on the wind – the rotten and algae-choked odor of stagnation. He heard a slight but distinctive sound.

"Navi, are you crying?" he asked.

"Uh huh," the little fairy confessed. "I remember this place. I never thought I'd see Lake Hylia like this. It's been dried up before, but never this bad… never this bad."

Link mounted Rhiannon and began riding her at a walk across the salt-plain. "I think what's left the lake part must be off over that way," Link said, pointing. "We might find fresh water for my mare if we keep going that way, but I have no idea if it's even safe for her to drink. Glad we found that little well a way's back."

"Hey!" Navi chimed, "What's that ahead?"

Link tipped the brim of his hat and looked off where Navi indicated. He winced as a spark of sunlight stung his eyes. "I don't know. It looks kind of metallic, whatever it is."

Link rode toward the mysterious object. He thought that its identity would become clear once he got close to it, but as he came near, it struck him as all the stranger. It appeared to be a box, though not perfectly rectangular, cut at weird angles half-buried in the sand. It was metallic in nature, though tarnished and coated with a light rust in places. It looked like it had plates for skin, welded and bolted together tightly. Link dismounted and walked up to this strange thing. He ran the fingers of his left hand along the surface and jumped back when he heard a rumbling noise. What apparently was a door slid open. He peered inside and stepped inside cautiously, his boots crunching sand and rust.

The door slid shut behind him.

"Shit!" he exclaimed as he rushed back and banged upon the sealed door, trying to will it to work.

Navi gasped. "Link…" she said, "You said a bad word."

"Huh?" he said, whipping his head around toward her. Her light illuminated the area with a pale blue cast. "We're trapped! We have to find a way to get this door open!"

Rhiannon whinnied wildly outside.

"Link, you said a bad word," Navi insisted.

"Yeah? So what?" the young Hylian retorted.

"That's not like you," the fairy complained.

"What? Sure it is. If you think that's bad, you should hear it when Fado hits himself with a hammer or when Malon deals with an ornery horse."

"I'll let it go… this time. I guess every lifetime makes you a little bit different."

"Piss, bitch, damn, ass, balls."

"Link!"

"Got your attention."

"Look over here, Link!"

Link turned around and followed his fairy. She hovered over what looked like a plaque covered in dust. Link bent over and wiped the dust away. There was an inscription on the plaque in perfect Modern Hylian.

_To the wayward traveler who finds him or herself here:_

_The people before you are not dead, but merely sleeping._

_This suspended animation was a last resort to save the Zora people._

_Here, in this wreckage leftover from before when we Goddesses created this world, they will stay to await the tides. _

_They will not live again until the great waters return. _

_Enacted by Nayru with the good help of Farore. _

"What does this mean?" Link asked as, suddenly, lights came up throughout the room. They shone upon the plaque and upon a massive construct before him. The room he and Navi were in stretched upon for nearly the width of the entire town of Old Kakariko. Link's jaw hung as he beheld row upon row upon row of coffin-sized glass cylinders, all stacked side by side and atop one another, connected by metal bands and strange tubing and wires. A hissing sound filled the room and sheets of frost were blasted from the outsides of the cylinders, as if by a great wind. Inside them Link could see people who appeared to be sleeping… or dead. They were like no people he had ever seen before in the flesh, though he had seen old drawings and photographs in books. Their skin was covered in shimmering scales. Their arms and legs and even the heads on some of them had fins and flukes. They were fish-men, fish-women and fish-children. There were even a few cylinders with clutches of frozen eggs.

"I thought they were… extinct…" Link said, overwhelmed. He heard a crackling sound behind him and quickly turned around. He yelped as he saw a ghostly figure, flickering every now and again like a bad television picture. It stayed in one place and made no move to harm him or Navi.

"A Watarara?" Link asked.

"Rito," the figure answered, "though, in truth, I am only modeled after one. What you see before you, dear visitor, is a hologram. I am the interface for this ship's computer."

"Ship?" Link and Navi asked at the same time.

"Yes," the hologram answered. "The great Goddesses of this world came from a distant nebula. This is one of the crafts they rode in, a star-sailer, if you will. Welcome to the Steel Temple."

"So… I am supposed to be here," Link said. "Alright, we made it." He looked around the room, toward two dark corridors that didn't seem to lead anywhere and back to the eerie transparent coffins of the frozen Zora.

The holographic birdlike figure crackled again.

"What are you, again?" Link asked.

"I am what is keeping this ship running and keeping the Zora frozen. They would die if they faced the world as it is right now. I am the Medical Support System and Life Initiator – or 'Med.-LI' for short. The Goddesses modeled my image and voice from the image and voice of a loyal sage. I am powered by the sun and will only initiate the program to free my charges upon detecting a sufficient amount of water. The right and left corridors lead to various sections of the ship. This place also serves as a vault for the sacred Pendant of Wisdom, meant to be gathered by the one destined to bring forth the tides."

"I am seeking that very pendant," Link said, "I'm not too familiar with computer systems… heard the Royals use them, but the way you look, you must be some sort of magic and I'm getting more used to that all the time. Med-li, is there a way out of this temple?"

"Analyzing request," the hologram said, folding her wings over her body, raising her head to the ceiling and closing her eyes in simulated concentration. "Left, right, right, right, right, left, up, left."

Navi floated close to the hologram. "Link, I don't think she's just a construct… I sense the faint traces of a spirit here."

Med.-LI's eyes snapped open. "Link," she said softly. She craned her neck toward him. "Re-member. I followed the fate of sages and somehow became in-in-incorporated here. It was fated we should meet again? You grew up."

"Am I supposed to know you?" Link asked.

"The sage I used to be, yes," the hologram replied. "Medli. Earth Sage. I must guard these people… The Hero of Winds was lost long ago?" She shook her head, as though she'd lost some information, or was dealing with it in fragments. Medli flickered and crackled, then became stable again. "Nayru said to wait for the Hero of Tides."

"The Hero of Tides?" Link asked.

"He who is destined to bring back the tides – water, forest, seasons, balance… the fresh water and the seas. Break the stranglehold of Power. Bring Courage and Wisdom back. Become in touch with the space between, the Aether. He shall first get the Pendants and the Sword, then untie the powers of Flame, Forest and Ice and rescue the Spirits that remain."

"This is all very cryptic," Link grunted.

"Only through the Aether will the tides be restored. The Pendant of Wisdom is guarded here. If you are the one destined to take it, take it and use it well. It is guarded by many dangers."

Medli crackled one last time and vanished.

"What did she say again?" Link asked, "I'm supposed to go left first, right?"

"Left, not right," Navi answered. "I remember. I'll try to guide you."

* * *

"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!"

"BRILLIANT navigation, Navi!" Link hissed as he dodged a hail of bullets. He'd just gotten himself caught in a very narrow corridor – one with rapidly firing gun turrets along the walls.

"I didn't think they'd be active! They looked so old and rusty!"

"Talk about a tight security system!"

The young man and the fairy had been meandering through the corridors of the Steel Temple, surprised to find not a whiff or a hair of any monsters. What they got, instead, was a particularly vicious automated security system consisting of floating platforms, freeze blasts, electrical charges, floors that dropped out from underfoot and wall-mounted, automated gun turrets.

"Why doesn't Medli turn this stuff off? She trusts me, right?"

"I don't think she can," Navi answered. "Link! Look out! Incoming!"

Link ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding getting his head shot off.

"Aaarrrgagh!" he yelped as he landed and pulled himself into a safe position behind a steel wall.

"Link!" Navi exclaimed, "Are you alright?"

It took only a second for her to realize that he was not alright as the light of her body caught a blood trail on the floor. Link was grabbing his right thigh and grunting painfully.

"It's not serious," he told the fairy, "just a flesh-shot. I'll live."

"Can you walk?"

"Probably, but probably not very fast." Link brought out the knife from his belt. "I should get the bullet out."

"Remember the whiskey!"

"Oh, yeah." Link took the flask from his pocket and took a hefty swig before plunging the tip of the knife into his thigh and digging.

Navi couldn't watch. She turned her face to the darkness of the corridor. "I meant… you should have used the whiskey to sterilize the knife!" she said.

Link's throat was burning and he winced back tears as he found the bullet and pried it free. He dropped his knife, leaned back against the wall and lolled his head. His thigh bled profusely.

"Link…" Navi asked, turning around, "Link, you've got to stay awake! Stay with me, please!"

Link sat up with a groan, blinking his eyes rapidly, trying to stave off the urge to pass out. "Well, that hurt like hell," he said with a cracked voice. He picked up his bloody knife and cut off the lower portion of the right leg of his jeans. He wrapped this over his wound tightly in a measure to staunch the blood flow and to try to cut the pain. He took another swig from the whiskey flask and got himself to his feet. Navi floated in front his nose to guide him onward. She vanished every now and again down one path or another to scout ahead. Link limped along, trying to keep as brisk a pace as he was capable of.

"You're still the Hero of Time," Navi said as they made their way toward a faint trace of light.

"What makes you say that?" Link asked.

"That thing you did with the knife…. You still have more guts than anyone I've ever known."

Link smiled. "Had to be done," he said. "Wouldn't walk as well with the bullet still in me."

They entered a room with light that filtered in from a skylight. A statue resembling a Zora with a harp held a chain with a shining blue pearl. Link checked the room for any sign of traps and took it.

"That was it?" he said as he slipped it around his neck.

"I guess so," Navi replied. "It took a great deal of wisdom to get through all those security measures."

"Well done" said a voice above them. It was Medli's voice coming from the walls. The skylight above them slid open and a set of stairs unfolded themselves from the wall. Link and Navi exited. Rhiannon greeted them. They weren't however, where they had been before. They could not see any part of the Steel Temple save the door below them, which slid shut and was quickly covered by shifting sands. Before Link and Navi was the tell-tale shimmer of water, though a small amount, a rocky hillside, and the bleached bones of what appeared to be a great whale.

Curiosity took Link to wander toward the old whale. He stumbled, then caught himself.

"Careful!" Navi scolded. "We should ride back to Kakariko. I don't sense any fairy springs around here and you need medical attention."

"I'll be alright, Navi," Link insisted. "My leg hurts, but I'll be alright. If we just rest here for a few days, it'll start healing and we can head on north to find the Glass Waterfall."

He stared up at the skull of the beached whale. Link had read of whales in books, but he'd never actually seen one. These bones didn't like quite like the old illustrations of the remains and fossils in the science texts that Uncle Russell made him read as part of his home education when he'd been growing up. There were bits of the skull, particularly the jaw, that were very fish-like. Broken ribs rose into the sky, against the setting sun. Link decided that it certainly must have been an impressive beast in life – whatever it had been.

Navi, who was sitting on his shoulder, was sobbing softly.

"What's the matter, Navi?" the young man asked.

"You really don't remember…" Navi sighed. "Poor old man… poor, poor old man… Link, the bones here aren't those of an ordinary fish. They're the bones of a god."

"A god?"

"The patron of the Zoras… Jabun… Jabu-Jabu. I don't think he could have died on his own, even with the spread of the desert. His poor old heart! He must have just decided to quit this world. What kind of a world is this now, when even gods are losing hope?"

"Ssh, Navi," Link said, taking her in his hand and stroking her back lightly and carefully with a fingertip. "We're both tired. We'll camp here tonight. Maybe spending time here will bring me memories of him that I've lost."

"It feels like everything is winding down, doesn't it?"

"Hmm?" Link asked.

"It's strange," Navi said as she sniffled, "It just feels like the clock is winding down. The powers of Nayru in this world are nearly gone. The powers of Farore have been fading for a long time, only the elements of Din remain but the land feels… I don't know… apathetic. It feels like the entire world is dying."

"Isn't that what I'm around to stop?" Link said as he began setting up a little camp beside a dried up old tree. Rhiannon drank from a pool of water nearby and displayed no apparent ill effects. The sand here was cool and was not salty. Link removed his weapons and lay down on his bedroll heavily.

"I still think we should ride back to Kakariko to have your leg looked at," Navi said.

"It's too far. Best to go easy on it, take care of it myself, and let it heal itself."

"Stubborn."

"Let me try to get some sleep."

* * *

It was deep into the night when Link awoke to see the apparition. Rhiannon was bedded down in the sand and Navi was comfortably asleep in his hair. Link sat up, wincing when he moved his injured thigh. He did not get up, but he did not need to. The glowing creature came to him.

The little red-eyed, golden furred wolf pup looked up to him, panting and wagging its tail. Link scratched his head, remembering what the Hero of Twilight vision had told him. "The golden wolf's whelp?" he asked.

The pup barked, stood on its hind feet and licked his cheek. Link suddenly found himself surrounded by trees. He looked around himself. There was grass and there was moss upon every rock. The environment was shady and misty. It was like the groves back home at the ranch, but much deeper and darker. Link had never seen this much lush plantlife. "So… this must be a forest," he said to no one in particular.

"Yep!" came a cheerful voice. The young man spied the source of it in among the mist. It was a little boy with hair as light as corn silk doing jumps and back flips. The child stopped and looked straight at him. The boy looked, somehow, very brave. His bright blue eyes held something in them that was unbecoming to such a youthful face. "You wanna play?" he asked.

"I would," Link began, touching his right thigh, "but I don't think I can… I got hurt… Huh?" He found that his wound was not there. Furthermore, the bloody, cut pair of pants that he had not bothered to change out of before going to bed were clean and mended.

"You don't dodge as well as you should," the boy said. "I can teach you how to do back flips and stuff."

"Well, it does look like fun."

"Do what I do… like this!"

Link copied the boy. He found it difficult, at first, but he was fit enough. He found himself graduating from back flips to leaping between rocks on a wild game of tag with the boy through the forest. Link felt like he was back in the days when he was a little kid, playing with Malon after their daily lessons and chores were done. While he had always taken time to play with the children of the ranch when he could, he hadn't felt this…frisky… in a long time. He stopped to rest on a mossy boulder and the little boy sat in the grass beside him. The child brought a small blue ocarina from a pocket in his green tunic and played a few strains of a lively song. Link tried to repeat it on his harmonica, but it didn't quite work.

"That's a song my best friend taught me," the boy said. "It's an ocarina song or a flute song. I don't think it's going to work on whatever you've got."

Link smiled. "You were one of the Heroes, I take it."

The boy stood up and gave Link a polite bow. "The Hero of Time at your service."

"You!" Link exclaimed. "It… It really is an honor! More books have been written in Hyrule about you than…than… well anyone! But… why are you just a kid?"

"Just a kid?" The Hero of Time pouted, "Just a kid? Do I have to remind you again, mister, that I saved two worlds and in one of them I was stuck being 'just a kid' the entire time?"

"But you grew up, didn't you? I'm supposed to be your descendant and all that."

"Yes, I grew up," the Hero of Time said, "And when I did, I put away childish things – including the desire to be very grown up. Some people grow too old for fairy tales only to grow into them again – and the few of us that are very, very lucky never grow out of them at all. You should never stop dreaming, you should never stop wondering and, most importantly, you should never stop playing and having fun."

"Why do you appear to me like this if you did grow up, though?" Link wondered.

"Because, right now, you need the wisdom of a child," the Hero of Time answered with a Cheshire grin. "I have appeared at other times to other Heroes in different forms. The Wolf needed me to be quite stern and dour. You need something else. Different memories for different lifetimes, I suppose."

"I'm glad," Link said. "I had fun playing with you."

"Keep those lessons to heart. I know you will, because you and I are the same soul, after all. I really wasn't all that great. I was just a kid who was very good at dodging."

"Navi said you were pretty humble."

"Navi…" the boy got a gleam in his eyes. "Yes… that's right, you found my fairy. Take good care of her, okay? She can be a bit of a nag but she's a good fairy. You should listen to her."

"I will,"

The forest began fading. The child waved. "Don't forget to play," he said before vanishing along with his ageless world.

Link awoke with a snort to find Navi curled up on his chest, rather than in his hair. Unfortunately, he noticed that the pain in his thigh had returned. "I guess a memory couldn't heal me," he groused.

"Hmm?" Navi asked, stretching and yawning. "Was just….monitoring… your vital signs."

"I had a vision," Link said. "The Hero of Time came to me. He told me to take care of you."

"Good," Navi said sleepily. She cuddled back into his shirt. She yawned again, never having come fully awake. "Had a crush on you for centuries…"

Link sighed and lay back down. He drifted down into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

It had been two days, or maybe three. Navi had failed to keep count. She had told him… she had told him that it would be best to go back to Kakariko, but he had not listened. Now she was lugging a heavy, dripping wet cloth from a stagnant pool over to his forehead for the umpteenth time. They had not left the remains of the lake and now Link was very sick. Navi may not have been a medical fairy, but she had learned many things from them. Link's wound had become infected. Navi suspected a contaminant had been carried on the blade of the knife he had used to cut the bullet out of himself – and he hadn't done the most clinical job of that. Contrary to what he had thought regarding the bullet, he'd probably made the wound worse by his rash action. He'd cut and marred himself in quite a nasty fashion.

Navi hovered under the lip of the crude little stick and blanket tent she had managed to construct to provide him shade. He moaned and swatted at his face as she dropped the cloth on his head with a splat. "Sssh," she soothed, "Let's wipe this sweat off you, make you feel cooler, okay?"

She drew the cloth over his face gently. "Navi," he called, "Navi… why did you leave me?"

"I'm here now, Link, I'm here. I'm not gone."

She knew that her charge wasn't completely in reality, or at least not within the moment. As he tossed in his fitful sleep, he'd blurted out things that only she and the Hero of Time would know - things that had happened centuries ago. Navi had wanted him to get his past life memories back, but not in this manner. He'd howled like a wolf a few times and had called for someone name Ilia, too. His fever was very bad. She suspected that the infection in his wound was poisoning his blood. Navi was strong, but not strong enough to hoist him up into his saddle. She'd thought of leaving him, of flying back to Kakariko to get help…

"Don't leave, Navi… Please don't leave."

He'd moan and break her heart. Visions kept flashing in her mind and she did not know where they were from. Some of them seemed to be from Link's own mind, somehow connected to hers. Others had her bearing witness to a scene laid out before her. Whatever the perspective, it was always the same: Link – her original Link, the Hero of Time, lay upon a field in the cool of the night, surrounded by the bodies of dead men clad in armor and fallen monsters. His clothing was darkened with blood from many terrible wounds. He looked skyward and reached up to a shining star as he groaned deeply and painfully. "Navi?" Although the Hero of Time was a man in these visions, his voice sounded like the voice of a child - a pitiful, scared child who was calling for his mother. "Navi?" he pleaded, "Where are you, Navi? Why did you leave me? I need you now, Navi, I need you…"

And in the visions, he died.

"No! No, no!" Navi cried, swabbing the present Link's face and neck as she was awash in these waking nightmares again. "Go away! Go away!"

"I only showed you the truth," a dark voice hissed.

"Who are you?" Navi demanded, flitting about, ready to fight any danger to defend her sick young man.

A ghostly figure appeared in the tent. It crouched beside the moaning Link and ran a finger down his neck and chest seductively. The ghost was female and wore a strange headdress.

"You may call me the spirit of truth… or the spirit of Sorrow," she said. "A spell and a servant like me can never truly be vanquished, though one Hero thought he did long ago."

"Leave him alone!" Navi demanded. She flew into the specter only to fly through her, and then back again.

"I can do nothing to him now but kindle his sorrow anew – and yours. My name is Veran."

"Your voice… it's familiar."

"It should be. Do you remember this? 'Link does not need you anymore, little fairy. There are other tasks for you. If you do not leave him now, he will never grow strong. It is best not to say goodbye, just leave and let him live the lonely life of a Hylian. It is the only way if you truly care about him."

Navi gasped. "YOU! You told me to leave him!"

"Yes," Veran said slowly with a wicked grin. "And you thought it was the voice of a holy creature. Do you know what he did after you left, hmm? He searched for you. He searched the far reaches of Hyrule for you – like some dog that had lost his master. He found himself all the way in Termina looking for you. He befriended another fairy, you know… for a time. His heart longed for you and became filled with delicious sorrow. He did live his life – disgustingly cozy – with children and pets and augh! It makes me sick just thinking about it. In the end, however, he died alone – on a battlefield, without comfort, calling in vain for his guardian fairy. His farmgirl wife couldn't answer him, so he called for you… his Navi who would not come!"

"You lie!" Navi shouted.

Veran laughed darkly, a laugh of triumph. "The root of the name 'Veran' is 'truth' and that is all I've shown you."

"Well," Navi retorted, "Link has me now! Hey! Stop touching him like that!"

Veran was cradling his head in one spectral hand and running the other down the length of his body in a rather seductive manner. "He has wonderful musculature… I would possess this body if I did not think he was not long for this world – or this incarnation, excuse me."

Veran suddenly vanished.

"That! That!" Navi fumed before she noticed a shadow over her. She whipped around, on the defensive. A person crouched over her and lifted the lip of the blanket-tent – a person both strange to her and familiar. "Don't worry, little one," they said, "I'll take care of him now."

"A Sheikah?" the fairy asked.

The figure nodded. "I knew he'd get into trouble," the stranger groused.

The young woman – or young man – it was difficult for Navi to tell, wedged their arms beneath Link. He groaned and opened his eyes. "Hey," he said groggily. "Who are you?"

"I am Sheik," the person said. "Don't be alarmed, but I've been tailing you. Do not worry, I am an ally. I am going to take you to a nicer place to heal."

* * *

End Chapter 7.

Turn to the Next.


	8. Lives to Give, Tears to Cry

**

* * *

**

**THE GREAT DESERT**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Lives to Give, Tears to Cry **

Link was dimly aware of being in a horizontal position. He was also aware of a sunbeam that was pouring over his face, its warmth and light irritating him, and the feeling of something warm and soft brushing over the top of his right hand. His right leg throbbed dully. He opened his eyes. The wobbling blades of a ceiling fan spun lazily. The ceiling and this stupid fan looked familiar – the room he'd been staying in at the inn in Kakariko. He felt foggy, like when he was a child and had a very bad cold. No…not quite like that…something else. Yes, he knew this feeling and he hated it.

Drugged.

Link could feel warm drool at the corner of his mouth. He tried to suck it back into his mouth or swab it away with his tongue, but it rolled annoyingly down his cheek. What was brushing his hand? It felt good somehow, soothing, but what was it? The young warrior managed to raise his head, wriggling it up on his pillow. He caught a glimpse of his right hand, resting atop a white sheet that was drawn over his body. Over the top of his hand, rubbing it gently, was another hand – pale, bluish, and with strange markings trailing up the arm. Link's gaze followed the arm until he saw, sitting next to his bed, a very strange woman. She was dressed in a dark maroon dress with frills of white lace at the neck and in black, laced-up boots. Her clothing was utterly ordinary, the clothing of any high-society woman in Hyrule… Everything else about her was downright strange. Her skin was pale and blue-tinged. Her hair was such a bright hue of orange-red that it might as well have been the sunset itself. Her neck was quite long and her eyes were sharp, slanted and exotic.

Link jumped. He scrambled up in his bed, wrenching his thigh painfully. "Who…who are you?" he demanded. The woman took her hand back and gave him a look of offense.

"Such fear is unbecoming one with the Triforce of Courage," she said. "Am I too beautiful for you? Such thanks for watching over you."

Link caught his breath and relaxed. "S-sorry," he apologized groggily. "Just never seen anyone quite like you before."

The woman laughed in a rather mocking way. "You forgot what a Twili looks like already? For shame."

"A Twili…" Link said. "I've heard of you, definitely… just never seen one in person before. I'm sorry, Ma'am. For the record… you are very pretty. We're in Kakariko, aren't we?"

"Where else? Some woman named Sheik brought you here. It looks like you did something stupid."

"Sheik…" Link sighed. "I remember them from the desert… thought they were a man…"

"Oh, no," the strange woman replied. "I asked her the same question and she was very adamant… groused something about females being warriors, too before she dropped a smoke ball and vanished. She seemed like she was angry with you for some reason. In any case, she brought you here on your horse. That Adelaide woman put a poultice of desert plants and fairy wing dust on your wound. You've been out of it for just about two days. It was just my misfortune to be on the latest watch."

"Do you have something against me, Ma'am?"

The woman's red eyes softened and looked incredibly sad for just a moment. "My name is Midna – that's Queen Midna to you, of the Twilight Realm."

"I had no idea," Link said, bowing his head respectfully. "I am Link Ordona Jr."

"I know who you are."

"I've been out for two days? Just for that wound to my leg?"

"Well, it got infected very badly. That little bug of yours told us that you got shot and dug the bullet out with a knife – and basically butchered yourself doing it. Also, Adelaide and Princess Zelda saw it fit to sedate you heavily. They were worried you'd try to get up and resume your duties before properly healed – that, and in your fevered state you kept thrashing about… I was here to see it. You kept shouting something about a 'thunderbird."

"Really…" Link said, scratching his itchy neck. He looked about the room and saw a little table at the foot of his bed. Upon it was a set of tiny dollhouse furniture, including a little writing desk with a tiny inkwell with a cuckoo pinfeather stuck in it and little squares of paper stacked upon it.

Midna saw him looking at the little setup. "The fairy wanted to take some research notes or something and she wanted to be close to you. One of the village children brought the dollhouse stuff for her. It's rather cute, actually."

"Where is Navi?" Link asked, "and Zelda?"

"Princess Zelda went to the town temple this morning to pray for you. She hasn't been back since. Navi left an hour ago, said she needed to talk with her. I've been stuck on watch ever since. There's been someone with you day and night."

"That's flattering, but was it necessary? I hate being a bother…"

"It probably wasn't necessary, but you are the hope of this land now, are you not? It would be a shame for you to up and die from some infection before your tasks are done."

"Are you here to answer the Princess' letter? She told me she sent something to the Twilight Realm."

"Yes," Midna answered, "Moreover the spread of the desert which has dominated this world has spread into mine. I came to discuss things of political and magical importance with Princess Zelda. She has my support to secure her rightful place on Hyrule's throne. In the meantime, she wants me to assist you in any way you might need me - at some point, but mostly, I am here to solidify our alliances. If need be, I can summon my armies with a flick of the wrist. For the meantime, we think more covert measures are needed. Either way, you are lucky to have beautiful Midna on your side. You're awake and moving about some, it looks like you are on the mend."

Midna smiled and despite the general manner she'd been displaying, it was a very sweet and genuine smile.

Link smiled back as he sat up taller in bed, bracing his back against the headboard. It was then that he noticed how lightly dressed he was. While his beloved hat was on one of the posts of the bed, the only clothing he wore was a short white nightgown. He took a look at his wounded thigh beneath the sheet and saw it bandaged up with cool, green patches of medicine soaking through the dressings. The bottom of his gown fell right to the middle of the thigh and he felt a breeze. He suddenly balled up the sheet in his hands and attempted to cover himself before the queen in his presence.

She laughed, a strange, lilting giggle that seemed to Link that it should belong to a creature smaller than herself. "Young warrior," she said, "your sword is quite impressive and you should have no shame."

This only made Link blush deeper. "Worldly, for a queen" he muttered.

Midna sighed very deeply and very sadly. "I am not quite as worldly as you think. Twili live for a very long time, by the standards of your world, but we are hard to fall in love. Most of us do it only once. Zelda tells me that you do not remember, but Navi tells me that some memories of lifetimes past have been coming back to you, sacred Hero."

"I am sorry," Link said. "Did I know you once? If so, I truly am sorry I do not remember. I'm sure when I encounter more magic that I'll remember."

To Link's utter surprise, Midna reached out to him and cupped his left cheek. "Let me tell you a story," she said, "Once, a very, very long time ago there was a little imp that fell in love with a wolf. It turns out that the imp was really a princess and the wolf was really a brave, strong Hylian. They traveled together and helped each other through many dangers. In the end, the princess had to leave him to take care of her people – she had to make a sacrifice because as much as she loved her wolf, she loved her people more."

Midna took her hand away and looked into Link's eyes. "And she still does. This is the first time I have been to the Light Realm in centuries. I am here because my kingdom – my people are in danger. I am here for them and nothing more."

"I am sorry," Link said, "I guess… seeing my face must bring you a lot of memories and a lot of pain."

"Don't be sorry. You cannot help who you are, or the cruel pattern set by your Goddesses. I was the one foolish enough to fall in love with a cursed swordsman."

* * *

The grass had grown up around Old Kakariko in the time Link had been gone. It carpeted the east portion of the town, miraculously tall and lush. Water was now flowing down from the mountain where the Bone Temple was located, forming a small creek into the town, filling its wells and small reservoir. It wasn't a particularly impressive creek, or, at least it would not have impressed people living in the area long ago, but for the current dry country, it was quite a wonderful thing. Link had taken a bath in it, had wrapped up his rapidly mending wound in fresh bandages, had gotten himself fresh clothes and was lying in the sun-warmed grass. Zelda sat beside him.

Navi flit about using a long thorn from the mesquite tree that was growing by the temple as a mock-sword. She vanquished pretend enemies. Link laughed at her.

"Hey!" Navi countered, "I may be small, but my power is sufficient."

Zelda's fingers lightly brushed Link's right ear. "Feeling better?" she asked.

"Quite a lot," Link answered. "Say, why wasn't I taken to the fairy spring?"

Navi answered for him. "My brothers and sisters are exhausted," she said. "They need to recharge their energy after all the work they did on you and Zelda. You cannot ask too much of healing fairies or they will work themselves to death!"

"Uh, hwa!"

The trio heard Midna somewhere in the town behind them, practicing various forms of Twili magic. Link could hear her two advisors applauding her. He thought he heard something made of stone crumble to dust, but he was too relaxed and lazy to raise his head and turn around.

"What is up with that Midna woman?" Link asked Zelda. "I don't know how to even approach her. Whenever I talk with her, she gives me these looks… like she hates me or something… part of the time. The other part of the time, I catch her making moon eyes at me just like…what…you're…doing…"

Zelda caught herself and turned away. Her cheeks felt hot. She looked down, at her lap. "She doesn't hate you," she said. "It is complicated."

"She said she knew me in another life – the old 'Twilight Princess' legend, the Hero of Twilight..."

"That is true," Zelda said. The princess swallowed hard and closed her eyes. "During that time, you and she fell in love, but you could not be together. She had to go back to her kingdom and, fearing problems that had previously arisen from our two worlds mixing, she severed the only known connection between the two at the time – this was before the Borderlands Portal opened."

"She told me her people were long-lived. I never knew Twili lived so long…" Link mused.

"Time runs differently in their world than in ours," Zelda replied. "Your heart moved on. I don't think hers ever did."

"Oh," Link said. "Couldn't she have come back after the Portal opened?"

"She did," Zelda said, "But…"

"But what?" Link asked, sitting up.

Zelda grabbed his hand and whispered something.

"Princess?"

She looked off, her eyes distant. "Lately, my memories have been strong. I have been having many visions. They have reopened old wounds."

"Are you alright?"

"I will be. I think I will be." Zelda said softly. She sighed deeply. "The fact of the matter is, Link, that … well, you've always died young. The people you love have a way of outliving you."

Link gave her a shocked look.

"I… I shouldn't have told you. I'm sorry."

"Its okay, Zelda," Link said. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon, for what it's worth. And, if I have to, I'm not afraid."

"To Midna, seeing you again is like seeing a ghost. I know how she feels."

"Have I…" Link asked cautiously, "been in love with you during any of my other lifetimes?"

Zelda turned to him and smiled. "Yes. Many times. You and I weren't together in every life, but we've been together."

"Maybe you can tell me what you remember… if it is not too much for you. You know me, I love a good story."

"Well," Zelda began… The princess began weaving tales of adventures and of things that happened after them. She spoke of stately positions within the palace – of times when the laws regarding people of common birth did not allow even a Hero to become King, and times when those laws were forgotten. She spoke of pirate ships on forgotten seas and of beautiful children.

"That's at least a hundred names," Link said, regarding Zelda's memories of her children and grandchildren. "How do you remember all that?"

"Wisdom, perhaps," she said sagely.

"I am sorry for leaving you so soon… so…much."

"Don't be. You couldn't help it."

"Well, Midna called me a cursed swordsman."

"I think she was referring to the reincarnation," Zelda said, "and you're a gunman as well as a swordsman now."

"So maybe things will be different this time around."

"I think so."

"Say… how old have I gotten?"

"If the memories serve me well," Zelda said, "The oldest you've been has been… thirty-five… mid-thirties, anyway. You were King, then, and largely retired from heroism. You helped me take care of the people and they loved you very much as well as me, and our three sons and two daughters. We really were the perfect Royal Family then."

Link swallowed hard and ventured the question on his mind. "So, if I wasn't doing anything dangerous on a daily basis by that time… what did me in?"

"The Great Plague," Zelda said solemnly. "It was more powerful than any dark beast… more powerful than Ganondorf. If you recall the history lessons I hope your uncle taught you, you'll recall that it killed a third of all Hyrule. It spared no one – not the young, not the strong… not even Heroes."

Link looked down. Zelda was cupping and stroking his cheek. "When you were sick, you tried to hide it from me." She smiled softly. "You didn't want to trouble me and you were hoping you'd beat it by sheer will until it became obvious and rendered you too weak to stand. You wanted to keep working, looking for a cure for the people. You treated the illness like a monster to be vanquished, but, in the end, nature is stronger than any of us. We were happy, though, for as long as we were together. I stayed healthy. None of our children got sick."

"I am here now," Link said. He leaned close to Zelda.

"Yes you are," Zelda said dreamily. She leaned close to him, about to brush her soft lips against his chapped ones when a voice interrupted them.

"There is an old woman here to see you," Midna said, standing over them.

"Oh?" Link asked, sitting back.

"Yes," Midna responded. "I don't know where she's from, but she says her name is Sarah Willow."

"It couldn't be!" Link exclaimed, jumping to his feet and wincing at the sudden weight he put on his leg.

"Lovely Midna will lead the way."

Zelda got to her feet and Navi rested atop Link's hat. "Go easy on your leg there," Zelda warned.

"I'm fine," Link assured with a nod, walking briskly, but stiffly.

A figure in a tattered brown cloak stepped out from behind an old shed. A shock of green hair stuck out from the cloak. She hobbled toward the small group and pointed a bony finger toward Link.

"Have you come to believe in magic yet?" she asked.

Link laughed and nodded enthusiastically. "How'd you get all the way from Nabooru to here, old one?"

Sarah Willow took the cloak away from her face, which was wrinkled and pale, but carrying a beatific smile. "Link," she said, "a fine, strong name – significant of connection. Everything must happen in its own time. The time for restoration is upon us."

"Link, are you alright?" Zelda asked as the young man went shock still for a moment. His eyes blinked rapidly, as if he were caught in a dream.

Link looked at the aged face of Sarah Willow and saw a much younger face flash before him. One moment, he was staring at the face of a young girl, no more than ten, twelve or fourteen years of age at the most, her skin soft, her eyes and hair bright. The next moment, he was gazing at the face of a very old woman.

"He's alright," Navi assured. "I think he's re-"

"SARIA!" Link exclaimed, grabbing the petite woman in hug. He spun her around. She choked and flailed. He set her down and apologized.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, "but it's you! It's really you! I didn't recognize you before, but… Saria!"

"You remember now," the old woman said with a smile. "I take it some of whom you used to be has returned to you?"

"Uh huh," Link said. "Not everything… not by a long shot, I'm sure, but somehow, and I don't know how, I know who you are now… Kokiri….but…. Kokiri…never…aged. Saria…what happened to you?"

Midna and Navi exchanged looks.

Saria took Link by the hand and looked up at him. "The forest went away,' she said forlornly. "Our lives were tied to it. Once the last of the great forests vanished, we could no longer remain. Some of us became a different species. I'm sure you're heard of Koroks, right? They tried to re-plant forests on the mountaintops during the era of the Great Sea. Some of us just faded…along with our world. Those of us that survived grew up… and grew old. We aren't the Eternal Children anymore."

Navi hovered close to her. "Ephemera is not with you."

"My fairy," Saria replied with a sad sigh. "She… Well, she fell sick when we had to take to wandering the desert. I buried her in a little flower garden in the town that bears my true name." She looked up and smiled at Link and Navi. "I am glad Link and you found each other again. It is a wonderful thing."

"Do you want to come inside out of the sun?" Link offered. "You must have traveled long to get here."

"If it is alright, I'd like to visit the temple at the north of town and that big, lovely tree. First, I wish to speak with you, Link."

"Okay…"

Zelda and Midna walked off together to leave Link and Saria alone. Navi tucked herself under Link's hat. Saria gave the young man a serious look. "Please," she whispered, "you have to save us."

"I'm going to put Zelda on the throne," Link said with a nod, "and I'm going to set this country right."

"You're going to bring the forests back, too," Saria said.

"I've been told that."

"It's true. Look at this town, Link – the water, the grass. You've already restored life to this place. You are… strongly connected to the powers of Farore, and even to nature itself. You already have part of what you need and what you lack you must find. Zelda's Impa told me that she entrusted you with the Crystal of Flame – Din's Fire."

"Yeah," Link said, holding up his right hand and issuing a little burst of flame from his palm that flickered out. "I've been using it to light campfires."

"You lack the Crystal of Ice and the Crystal of Forest. Together, with your strong, beating heart, they will form the key to setting this land right. The Kokiri are scattered… if we can come together again, we would be able to give you the Crystal of Forest."

"I don't even know how to start a search for the Kokiri!" Link countered, "Up until I met you and recognized who you were, I thought the race extinct!"

Saria looked off toward the Temple of the Goddesses and to the big tree growing at its edge. "I did not know where to start, either, but I know where to end now. This is the place where we must be. If you can bring us here, you can save what is left of our people. I do not know where the rest of us are, but I've heard that one of us resides in the town of Mido… in fact, if I am not mistaken, he's the mayor of the place – Duncan Mido… It is him - unless he's decided to go the way of Hylians and mate and have descendants, or unless someone has just taken his name. He's the only one of us remaining that I know of. I've searched for the others but I do not think it is possible for me to do so anymore. I am close to fading away. Link, please help!"

"Of course! Of course!" Link replied. "Mido is north of here… I have to go north, anyway and find the Glass Waterfall and the Painted Canyon." Link took the chains out from under his shirt to show Saria the Pendants of Courage and Wisdom. "I need one more of these, and then I can get the Master Sword. I'll stop by Mido."

"I will wait for you, young man," Saria said as she shuffled along to the Temple of the Goddesses."

* * *

Link rode Rhiannon through windblown sand, three sacred Pendants slapping against his chest. He rode into a broken forest of dry, dead trees and knew that he was going the right way.

He'd found the Glass Waterfall before he'd found the town of Mido. He had entered through the tunnel behind it and had found himself at the ancient remains of Hyrule's old capitol. Much of the old castle had remained, including the tallest tower. It had obviously had a twin at one point, but the second tower had been broken. Chipped seashells were everywhere. Link had entered into the main palace in his search for the Pendant of Power through the graveyard and had seen a monument with his name on it.

In the castle's broken remains, he'd met roving gangs of pig-like creatures that Navi called moblins and other, much more formidable creatures that the fairy identified as lynels. Those beings were like centaurs in form, but had the heads of lions. Navi had told Link that they were best avoided, but if they'd found themselves in a confrontation with one, to try to sever the head or destroy both hearts.

"They have one heart in the horse-chest," Navi had said, "and one in the human torso. If you just pierce one, they'll keep coming at you. They're very resilient. In fact, they aren't monsters in the truest sense. They're deities."

"Deities?" Link had asked, crouched low against a stone pillar watching a small troop of the beasts, "You're telling me those things are gods?"

"Sort of," Navi had then replied. "They guard treasures and sacred things. They tend to follow whoever has the most power. They aren't really good or evil."

"If they aren't evil, why should I kill them?"

"If they find you, will have to in order to survive, end of story."

As stealthy as he had been, Link had found himself fighting lynels. He'd found his gun to be most effective on them. He remembered to make two shots – one to one heart, one to the other. He felt uneasy over it, as well. With their neutral status and humanlike looks, he felt almost like he was killing men, not monsters. There were only two people he wanted to kill – and that was for justice, because he had to, and to set things right. Link did not want innocents or ignorant "grunts" to be caught in the crossfire. He'd asked himself, as he fought, if he were really up to this whole business - as dispatching something that Navi had described as minor deities gave him some discomfort, no matter how vicious they were. They weren't like undead creatures or common beasts. Something about them made him think twice as he pulled the trigger.

Then, there had been that one that spoke. He'd had a sleek gray-blue body and he had cornered Link in the remains of the market square. The creature's sword was raised above Link's head and one of its hooves hovered above his chest. Link had reacted quickly, firing several close shots into its belly. The lynel had moaned. Link had scrambled out of the way as its legs buckled and it fell to the ground. It had dropped its sword and had looked straight at him with eyes that almost glowed golden in the light of the setting sun.

The creature had growled at him and demanded, in perfect modern Hylian – the speech of humans: "Finish it."

When Link had started backing away, the creature growled at him in a louder voice. "Finish it!"

Link had gripped his gun. He could have made a clean head-shot, but he hesitated. His opponent was no longer an immediate threat to his life. He had no idea if or how to help the lynel. "I can't kill in cold blood," he'd whispered to himself. He'd holstered his weapon and tried to approach the beast.

"Watch out!" Navi had yelped as the creature's lion jaws lunged for his arm, narrowly missing. The lynel then looked heavenward, roared, and slumped over in death. A big group of lynels and moblins came from all corners, forcing Link to run and to fight. Never again was he sloppy.

When he'd reached the high tower of the palace, he'd fought a creature that Navi had called an aquamentus. Link had felt the animal an appropriate guardian for an old palace. Upon seeing it, he'd thought immediately of legends surrounding beasts called kirins, which were associated very strongly with royalty. In many stories, kirins had chosen kings. The aquamentus was a scaly, ugly, but strangely elegant creature that looked very much to Link like drawings of kirins – though it obviously had been corrupted.

In any case, he was now riding through the Drywood Waste with the Pendant of Power over his neck and a roll of aquamentus skin in one of his saddlebags. He'd planned to have it made into a new pair of boots.

Navi flew out of his hat. "The canyon's just up ahead!"

The wind died down and Link rode slowly. "Alright… if I'm here and have the Pendants, what next?"

"Look!" Navi cried, hovering over something that looked like a gravestone. Link dismounted and took a look at it.

"I can't read it," he said. "That's another language."

"Ancient Hylian," Navi explained. "It says 'The power of the weak shall make the world strong."

Link ran his finger along a little depression in the top of it. He took off the little red pearl around his neck and placed it there.

"There's another one!" Navi exclaimed. Link walked briskly toward it, several paces away.

"Hmm." Link said.

"The wisdom of fools frustrates the pride of the learned," Navi read.

He slipped the blue Pendant off his neck and placed it upon this stone. He found the final stone without Navi's help, but asked her to read it for him.

"The courage of cowards is an unexpected asset."

Once Link had placed the last pearl, the ground began shaking. Rhiannon ran to the relative shelter of the grove of dry trees the group had just passed to. Link jumped and ran for the smooth stone of a canyon wall as beams of light shone all around him, shooting from the Pendants of Virtue toward one another as straight as bullets shot from a gun. One red beam shone, then one blue beam and one green beam, then more light, white and hot, shot out from the little pedestals until the light formed the outlines of Hyrule's ubiquitous holy symbol.

A huge, triangular patch of ground lifted up out of the earth. Sheets of sand ran off it. The pearls in the pedestals cracked, as if their inner forms were hatching from eggs. The Pendants shone brightly, like finely-cut precious gems. As the sand ran off the platform, a small pedestal was revealed. Wedged firmly into it by the tip was a beautiful sword. The hilt was royal blue, almost purple, and looked like it had wings. The blade was clean and sharp. It seemed to glow with the light of a desert dawn. As Link gazed up in awe, a set of stairs formed upon the platform, shifting down to him. He stepped up to the holy weapon cautiously.

"It's beautiful," he said.

"Take it," Navi encouraged. "It's your sword. It has always been your sword."

Link reached out with his left hand and grabbed the hilt. He slid the Master Sword out of its pedestal effortlessly and held it up. He felt power course through him, an indescribable strength. It was as if the sword and his soul were fusing into one. It felt like being reunited with an old friend. For a moment, he felt invincible. He swung the sword, flipped it in his hand and held it up again.

Yes, this was a real old friend.

A scabbard appeared beside the pedestal. Link took it, slid the sword inside, and girded it onto himself, over his father's sword.

"I guess we're heading to Mido now?"

"Yes, to Mido," Link said.

* * *

End Chapter 8.

Turn to the Next.


	9. Masters and Servants

**

* * *

**

**THE GREAT DESERT**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Masters and Servants **

Rhiannon streaked across the Tantari Waste, her passenger digging his heels into her sides. Link ducked as another arrow whizzed above his head. He squint his eyes and looked ahead. There were no rock formations, dry forests, canyon valleys or anything in which she might lose his pursuers.

Navi hugged the front of his hat, her wings pressed firmly against her back. "I told you not to go this way! You said yourself that it was Gerudo country. Don't you ever think?"

"It's the easiest way to Mido and it is big, open country!" Link countered, "I didn't think anyone would find us crossing it and how was I to know they'd know who I was?"

"Link…" Navi whined, "your image is everywhere on wanted posters! Cecelia and Ganondorf have soldiers out looking for you. The Gerudo are opportunistic scavengers – they always have been and always will be! What did you think was going to happen?"

"Just find a way for us to lose them, okay?"

Link's sensitive ears detected the hoofbeats of other horses coming closer. He coaxed Rhiannon onward and patted her neck. She whinnied brokenly, nearly out of breath. "Come on, girl," he encouraged, "Just a little bit more. Come on, Rhia… they're gonna kill me!"

He heard whooping and hollering, then a sharp sound. A net enveloped him and he fell to the ground, rolling. He caught sight of Rhiannon's hooves jumping away and booted human feet clopping onto the ground in front of him. "Got him!" he heard somebody say before one of those boots collided hard with his head.

The next thing he knew, he was being yanked up by his hair and rough ropes bound his feet together and his hands behind his back. The net was gone. His vision was full of bursts of light. Someone was yelling at him, but he couldn't make out their words in his foggy state. His head was pounding. It was a man's voice.

"Hey, kid, you wanna tell us why this sword of yours won't come out of its scabbard, eh? Just stuck in there – rusted old piece o' junk!"

Link watched the man kick the Master Sword across the sand. A tall, thin, dark-skinned woman reverently picked it up. "Now, Benson, just because you cannot draw it doesn't mean it's a piece of junk!" she protested, "I'm sure it just needs a little oil and a little love. Hmm. I can't draw it, either…"

"Gun'll fetch a nice price… and that other sword he had on him. Collectors go nuts fer stuff like that," the man, apparently named "Benson," said. "And o' course, the boy 'imself."

Benson was a largely-built man; light skinned and mildly sunburned, with bristly black facial hair. His ears were short and rounded in the fashion of standard humans. His form was quite a contrast to his company. He reached a meaty hand down and grabbed Link by the chin. "Tell me, son, what did you do with that pretty little princess? Ya kill 'er an' bury 'er out in the desert somewhere?"

Link narrowed his eyes and spit in Benson's leering face.

"That's no way to get a confession out of somebody," another darkly tanned woman said. "Lord Ganondorf will pay double if we can get the princess… alive, or a body, whichever state she is in, but we'll not get her location out of him if you treat him like that."

The woman crouched down beside Link and put her hands upon his shoulders. He winced and fidgeted as she put her lips to his ear. "Come on," she said, rubbing his shoulders lightly, "If you tell us where she is, we'll give you anything you want… anything."

"How about my fairy?" Link asked with a glare.

Benson tossed a clear glass bottle at him. Inside it was Navi, trapped by a stiff cork. She batted about the inside, her little body glowing red with fury.

"Come on," said the woman holding the sheathed Master Sword, "Let's get him to the fortress. We can ask him more questions there, torture him if necessary."

Link was surprised when the other woman, who looked quite petite to him, lifted him up and slapped him over Rhiannon's saddle. The girl that held his sword reached down and picked up the bottle with Navi. They mounted their steeds and Benson mounted his. He grabbed Rhiannon's reins and led her beside his own shabby-looking mare. The wind began to pick up a little and from his unusual vantage point, Link could see the tell-tale brown "wall" of an approaching dust storm. Before it hit, the group was inside a sheltered little cove, of sorts, built into a hollow of rock. Mudbrick and adobe buildings populated this hollow, built side-by-side and over each other as pueblos.

Milling about this area, each one upon her own business, were dark-skinned women with varying shades of red hair. Most of them were dressed in purple or cream-white clothing of a particular style that had come to be known throughout Hyrule as "Gerudo-style." Their shoes were pointed, their pants were billowy and their tops barely covered anything. A few of the women dressed more sensibly, in jeans and in light buckskin jackets with leather-fringe. The women dressed in the more traditional Gerudo-style carried spears or scimitars, while many clothed in more modern dress had gun belts around their slender waists.

"No escape here," one of the women who'd caught Link said as she cut the ropes on his feet free with a large hunting knife. She helped him off his horse, holding him by his wrists, which remained bound.

A little girl stood outside the corral where the horses were being kept. "Outta my way, brat!" Benson groused as he pushed her on his way to leading the horses inside. The girl cried and ran to hug the legs of the woman holding Link.

"She is my daughter if you'll remember!" The woman said, "AND the daughter of your boss!"

"She was in my way. Brat ought to listen better."

"She's deaf, you idiot!"

"Forgot 'bout that. Still oughta teach her to stay outta the way when important company comes through. Don't you forget, I'm here to supervise all y'all, make sure the land management an' tribute is all in order, accordin' to Ganondorf's orders. His people or not, I'm your boss right now. Take the prisoner inside, Givanna. I'll have Xera deal with his weapons."

The woman named Givanna shoved Link ahead of her. Her little girl followed behind. Givanna ushered him into a simple adobe-walled building and forced him down into a heavy, cast-iron chair. Link struggled, but she made efficient work of holding him down and tying him into the chair. The little girl watched and made simple hand signs. Link decided that the child couldn't have been more than three years old.

Givanna signed back, speaking and nodding as she did. "Yes, honey," she said, "some water would be a good idea. Go to the well and mind your aunts." Her hands flew through multiple signs deftly. Link couldn't help but be fascinated. Givanna sat down in a chair opposite him, her legs splayed over the sides and her arms resting on the back – sitting casually the "wrong way."

"She's a smart girl," Givanna said with pride, "much smarter than that reject her father drafted to take inventory on us."

"She's…Ganondorf's daughter?" Link choked.

"Um, hmm." Givanna answered. "I can't say we are really enthusiastic about following ol' Ganny, but he is the king of our people by birthright – as well as the king of yours now, it would seem. We respect the birthright, the pure blood, and Shana's a sweet girl."

"Shouldn't you and she be living in Hyrule Castle?" Link asked sheepishly, "I mean, if she's his daughter and you're his wife."

"Wife?" Givanna laughed, "Wife? Oh, you poor sweet boy! You Hylians…The Gerudo don't have such things."

She got up, stood behind Link's chair and trailed her index finger down his chest. He winced and writhed. "We take on willing men when it pleases us… regular humans and Hylians, but when the king of the Gerudo has risen, he can take any one of us that he pleases. It isn't always a choice."

"I'm sorry," Link said, relieved when Givanna removed her hands from his person.

"Don't be," Givanna said, "There is a reason why we call him 'The Stallion.' In any case, we respect the royal lineage, even when we lack full respect for the king."

Shana returned with a bowl of water. Givanna took it and put it to Link's lips. He gulped it, gratefully. Link smiled down at Shana and Shana looked up to him, fear in her golden-colored eyes. Givanna hugged her and signed something to her. Shana ran off outside.

"I told her to go play," Givanna said. "I wouldn't want her to watch a torture-session."

"TORTURE?" Link gagged. "But, we were talking all nice and all… do we really need to resort to that?"

"That is entirely up to you," Givanna said, walking about the room. "In case you haven't guessed, I'm the Matriarch around here, descended straight from the Sage, Nabooru, I am. That's almost as good as being a pureblooded Gerudo. You know, a town was named after her. All we want is a little information. That tan skin of yours would make lovely leather, taken straight from a living body…"

Link's face blanched. "Information? Like… like what?"

"The whereabouts of Princess Zelda, of course, silly," Givanna replied. "I'm sure President Ganondorf and Queen Cecelia will have you executed, anyway, but they'll do it quickly – for the public eye, you see. You can choose your death – quick or slow. You are a dead or alive bounty, so we can do what we want. You have such handsome blue eyes… it would be a shame if I had to gouge them out with my hunting knife."

"Do what you want with me, I'm not telling you where she is!" Link shouted.

"Brave," the Gerudo warrioress mused. "News that's been passed around says that you're deranged, killed your uncle and all that. I really don't think you are… you look much too innocent. Tell me, did you murder the princess and dump her somewhere? All we need to please those who hold us is a body. Where did you bury her?"

"I didn't bury her!" Link yelped, "I would never hurt Zelda, ever!"

Givanna sat back down in her chair. "You're in love, aren't you, boy? I can see it plain on your face. She is hiding somewhere. You are protecting her. Beautiful, really, but it changes nothing. Are you willing to give your life for her, boy? Slowly and painfully?"

"Yes," Link said with a straight, determined gaze. "Like I said; do what you will with me. I won't let anyone hurt her."

Givanna shook her head and sighed. "I don't want to do anything to you. You seem like a good kid. They'll find her. They won't stop searching until they find her. We're packing up and heading out to Castle Town in the morning. It's going to be a long trip. The bounty that will be paid out on you will be tremendous. Take comfort in this – your life is going to feed this entire tribe for a long time."

* * *

The entire village was out to see the small escort off. Givanna led a sleepless and exhausted Link out to the center of the plaza while the large human, Benson, packed up the horses with supplies and with Link's weapons, which he'd planned to sell in the Castle Town market. Little Shana ran around excitedly, looking for ways to help the adults. Benson backed into her and fell down on his rear. He got up, roaring, and grabbed the child by the arm.

"You little insect!" he said before hitting her.

Before Givanna could do anything, Link wriggled out of her grasp, his hands still bound, growling. "You leave her alone!" he yelled as he butted headfirst into Benson, knocking him down again.

Benson got up and pointed his gun at Link's chest. "I'll shoot ya down right here!" he exclaimed.

The gathered Gerudo were gasping. Givanna hugged little Shana.

"Where do you get off hitting a defenseless little girl?" Link demanded. "Why don't you fight a man, like me?"

Benson cocked his gun. "Hope you've made yer peace with the Goddesses, horse-ears."

Givanna stepped over to Link, her hunting knife out. She cut the ropes binding his wrists. Then she stood in front of him, between Benson and his gun. "You really are thick, aren't you?" she said to Benson. "You've been challenged."

Benson lowered his piece. Link did not make a move to run or fight, after all, the tribe still had Navi somewhere. "Challenged?" Benson asked.

"Our captive has challenged you to defend the honor of my daughter. According to our culture's laws, you two must fight one-on-one with equally-matched weapons. Since you do not have a sword, sir, I suppose guns will have to do."

A tall woman walked up to the horse carrying Link's weapons and grabbed his belt and holster. She loaded fresh bullets into his gun and tossed it to Givanna. Givanna, in turn, handed the gun belt to Link. "You win this and we'll let you free," she promised.

Link gave her a brisk, confused nod.

So, Link found himself back to back with Benson, the Gerudo tribe watching him and the other man in a semi-circle. The one he's learned was named Xera was holding Navi's bottle in her hands. It was his reflexes and his uncle's gun against Benson's cruel sneer and his expensive-looking ivory-handled pistol. They'd each walked several paces, listened for the "whoop!" one of the tribeswomen gave, and fired.

Link jumped as a bullet whizzed past his ear. His own shot failed to land. Benson fired again and Link lunged and rolled. Link hit his feet, squinted and fired again. Benson dropped his gun and fell to his knees, clutching his right shoulder. Blood quickly drenched his shirt sleeve. Before he could grab it, a young Gerudo kicked the ivory-handled pistol out of the way and stepped on the man's hand hard as he released his shoulder to reach for it.

She glared at Link. "Finish it," she said.

Link stepped forward shakily.

"You won," the Gerudo said again. "He is yours to finish."

An image of the dying lynel he'd faced before flashed through Link's mind. He shook his head and holstered his gun. "Is it okay…" he began, "if I chose to give this man's life back to him? That's what I'd like to do."

"As you wish, gracious warrior," the woman said with a light bow.

"Do you have any doctors here?" Link asked, "I'd like this man treated. Imprison him if you'd like, but treat him first." Then, he added, with a little sneer – for the sake of impressing the tribe – "I want him to _live_ with his shame."

The referee nodded and three women came and gathered Benson, leading him, yelping and grousing, inside one of the buildings.

To his surprise, Shana ran up to Link and hugged his legs. He smiled and knelt down to her. "Hey, there," he said, though he knew he wasn't heard.

"Thank you for standing up for my daughter," Givanna said, approaching him.

Little Shana signed something to him.

"She said you're a good man," Givanna explained.

Link cautiously tried a sign of his own, not knowing if it was known among the Gerudoes.

Shana laughed aloud.

"All clear," Givanna said. "Where did you learn that?"

"Rancher's shorthand," Link explained, "It's what I was back home. So, are you going to make good on your promise? Am I free to go?"

"Of course," Givanna said. "Despite our king's policies, we Gerudo really are a people of honor. You were willing to fight for one of us. That is respect. You… really would have fed us for a long time, though."

Link looked down, his eyes sad. "I really do enjoy living," he said, "and I have people to protect. If I can help it…in the future… I'll make sure you're fed, okay? I'll do…something."

Navi came barreling toward him. "Oh, Link! Oh, Link!" she cried. She ran right into his lips and gave them a fluttering little fairy kiss before spinning around his head and hovering in front of his nose. "That was so cool!"

Link laughed. "Are you alright, Navi?"

"You could have died, you know!" the fairy scolded.

Link walked over to Rhiannon. The horse was carrying all his things. He reached into a saddlebag. It was still there. "It's a little stiff… it hasn't been cured yet," he said, "I kept this in hopes of making some new boots, but your tribe can have it. I don't have much I can give you in return for giving me my life back, but I hope this can help you."

He unrolled the aquamentus skin. Givanna gasped and ran her hands along it. "This is… is this genuine aquamentus?"

"Yep!" Navi said with pride, "Link slew it and skinned it himself!"

"This is very rare, Link," Givanna said, "Are you aware of how valuable this is?"

"Half my bounty?" Link guessed.

"Closer to twice your bounty," Givanna said. She rolled up the skin and took it into her arms. She bowed gratefully. "Thank you, young warrior, thank you."

"I had no idea," Link said, scratching the back of his neck.

"You may stable your horse here any time you like."

"Thank you," Link replied. "Ready to head on out?" he asked Navi.

"Yep!"

* * *

Link entered the cove covered in brush. He parted bushes out of his way as he led Rhiannon behind him. The rock formations above him formed a cool and shady nook. He walked onward and upward until he found himself entering a shelf, then a cave. He could have sworn he'd smelled water and heard dripping.

"Just a little bit more, girl," he said to his horse, "With all this plant life, there's gotta be some water near here."

A cool breeze lifted his hair and almost took his hat off. The shade felt wonderful. Suddenly, he felt pain in both his ankles. He looked down. Nothing was there but he was bleeding through his pants just above the boots. He tested his legs and he could still walk.

"Navi, did you see what just happened?"

Navi flit around, close to the ground, trying to find the assailant. "I can't see anything!" she said.

"Maybe I just walked into a thorny bush."

Link scratched his head and then took a few steps, then, unable to stand it any longer, crouched down to examine his wounds. As he rolled up his right jeans leg, a horde of tiny skeletons came at him from all sides, swarming over him. They carried little spears, with which they jabbed and stabbed him.

"Augh!" the young man yelped. He reached for the Master Sword and swung it, turning several of the tiny creatures into chalky dust. "What are these things, Navi? Stalkin?"

Stalkin were creatures that Link had heard about along the way. Navi's answer surprised him.

"I don't know!" Navi yelped. "I think they're too small even to be Stalkin. And stop hurting them!"

"Stop hurting them? They're hurting me!" He shook several of the little creatures off his body.

"They're fairies!" Navi gasped in resolute horror, "Or, at least, they used to be!"

"What?"

The tiny skeletons suddenly stopped their attack. Within an alcove, a golden creature rose. The skeletons, making strange little noises, all shuffled towards it. Link looked up, rubbing a wounded shin, mouth agape. The golden figure danced. It looked like a woman, tall, slender and at least three times his size. Streamers wavered all around her and a serpent coiled around her body. Its head was at her shoulder and it appeared to be eating its own tail, even as it undulated over her.

"Greetings, Chosen Hero" she said in a voice like water. "I apologize for how my companions have treated you."

As one, the little skeletons faced him and respectfully bowed. Link stood up, continuing to stare at the golden woman.

"They mean well," she continued, "They only wish to protect me, which is why they cannot be at peace and move beyond. I am the spirit Lanayru."

For a moment, the woman shifted. The head of her snake moved and melded into her face until the animal and the woman became one. The resulting glowing serpent held a ball of light in her mouth. She then shifted back into the woman.

Rhiannon paid no attention to this scene. She dug into the ground with a hoof, bringing forth a paltry gout of muddy water, which she nosed and drank.

"You… you saved us… Zelda and me, from Cecelia," Link said shakily.

The glowing golden dancer nodded. The Triforce of Wisdom summoned me in a time of great need. The guardian spirits belonging to Courage and to you, however, have always been divided. The spirit bound to Power is currently overwhelmed by it and does not like its wielder. Through every age, we have chosen sacred springs to which we are bound. My spring has dried up and my power is waning. My poor fairies could not survive in their conventional forms, but they live on in their own way. They know I am waning, so they make an extra effort to protect me… to buy me more time."

Link looked to the ground. "We came here seeking water," he said humbly. I am sorry to disturb, you, my lady."

"On the contrary, Hero," Lanayru said gently. "I have been hoping you would come this way in a timely manner. I have been waiting for you. I will live – we will live… if we are united. There are three other spirits throughout Hyrule. If they can be transported to this spot – us all four united together, we can begin to bring the springs back. I cannot leave here any longer, even at the call of the Triforce of Wisdom."

"So," Navi said, "if you are united, the springs will start returning?"

"Yes," Lanayru answered.

"What if they, too, cannot leave their springs?" Link asked.

"That is my fear," Lanaryu replied. "If you know powerful transportation magic, or someone who practices it – find someone who practices powerful transportation magic."

Link immediately thought to the streets of Kakariko, just before he'd left it again. He'd watched Midna practice her magic. She could destroy objects with precisely aimed bursts of shadowy magic. She also teleported large objects from one part of town to another. She seemed to get a kick out of transporting stray cats and cuckoos to the rooftops… Midna!

"Yes!" Link said enthusiastically. "I know just such a mage and she said that she was supposed to help me in anything I needed. I will help you."

"Thank you, Hero," Lanayru said before fading away.

"Look!" Navi said, pointing to the splatters of chalk Link had left in destroying some of the tiny skeletons. The dust knit itself together into more skeletons – the same as he had "killed." They bowed to him, as if in apology.

Link smiled and laughed before leaving the dry spring.

* * *

As Link exited the mountainside, he drew the Master Sword. He did not know why he went for it rather than for his gun – perhaps it was the fact that it felt like an old friend, or maybe, it was just because he knew the caliber of his bullets just wouldn't work.

He had not expected to see a gigantic grizzly bear come barreling down the mountain outside the spring toward him. It bawled and grunted. What Link had expected even less was that he'd ever see a bear with gray-blue fur – or wings. The wings were small, given the proportion of the bear's body.

"What kind of monster is this, Navi?" Link demanded, ready to fight.

"It's not a monster!" Navi replied, "I don't know what it is!"

The bear came to a halt in front of him and sat on its copious rear. It lifted a paw up and motioned to the Master Sword. "I wouldn't try using that on me. That is my sword." The bear then bawled in such a loud manner that the stones around the little group shook. A wind kicked up, blowing dust and grit that Link could not see through. It passed quickly. Navi and Rhiannon had disappeared. Perched upon rocks on the dry mountain slope, sitting cross-legged, was a boy of thirteen to fourteen years of age. He was dressed in green and had honey-blond, wild hair. He looked as if he was meditating. His smile was gentle and his eyes were serene.

"Another Hero of the past?" Link ventured.

"You are catching on quickly," the boy said with a broader smile. "Pleased to meet cha."

"I take it you have something to teach me."

"Of course."

"You're obviously the Bear, but… you're rather small…"

The younger-looking Hero laughed. He balled his left hand into a fist and put it to his chest. "I had the heart of a bear," he said. "Strong. Also, the bear-form is taken in honor of one of my dear friends. He was a bit slow-witted, but a very kind and powerful ally."

Link considered the boy for several minutes. Silence passed between them. "You look… contemplative," he observed. "I never knew any of my ancestors… or I was… however this thing works…. Never knew there was a Hero who was a Sage."

"I'm not a Sage," the boy answered. "I didn't even save Hyrule."

"Huh?" Link asked.

"I was called many things – the Hero of Time and Nature, the Hero of the Essences of Time and Nature… the Hero of the Essences… I prefer the Hero of Nature, myself. We already held the title of 'Hero of Time' – and 'Hero of Nature' is more apt for me. Time is a part of nature, after all. As for the question you are about to ask – it is correct. I did not save Hyrule, at least not directly. I took care of two important neighboring kingdoms. I'm sure you've heard of Holodrum and Labrynna. During my era, if they had fallen, Hyrule would have followed."

"So," Link began, sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of the Hero of Nature, "The Hero of Twilight taught me how to use my sword. The Hero of Time taught me how to dodge. What do you have to teach me?"

The boy held up his hand, index finger extended. "Ah-ah," he corrected, "All of us are merely reminding you of skills you've forgotten. You _were_ us all. Now that you have accepted that, things will go a lot more smoothly."

"Whatever happened to Bippin and Blossom's son?" Link blurted out. He caught what he'd said and put a hand over his mouth.

The Hero of Nature laughed heartily. "Oh, he grew up strong and took over the family farm. He lived quite well. He outlived me."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm alive now – in you. I guess I am speaking with you now to help you not to be afraid of that."

"Afraid of what? Death?"

The young Hero nodded, "Well, of all aspects of nature. It truly is only natural to be afraid of death, even for someone who is constantly reborn. Nature has a rhythm – the seasons, the ages, life and death. We have a special connection to it all. Take some time and feel the wind. Center yourself on the magic flowing through you."

"I'm becoming more used to magic every day."

"That is good, Hero of Tides, that is good."

"Hero of Tides? Medli called me that…I think."

"It is your destiny."

"The Hero of Twilight kept calling me 'coyote."

"Also your destiny, cunning one. Do not fear your destiny. Nature can be brutal, but do not fear it. You are a part of it. It must be respected as it is above us all. I am…limited… but I am a part of you and in touch with the Essences of the Ages. I sense that you are soon to lose someone close to you… one…or more than one… I cannot tell."

"What?" Link asked, suddenly panicked. He stood up and approached the Hero of Nature, reaching out to grab him by the shoulders.

The younger-looking Hero simply sat, just as he had the whole time, cross-legged and serene. "Be brave," he said. "Nature can be brutal." Then he vanished, leaving Link to stand dumbfounded in the desert, staring at an empty grouping of rocks, Navi flitting about his head, asking him what was wrong.

* * *

End Chapter 9.

Turn to the Next.


	10. Cunning Creatures

**THE GREAT DESERT**

**Chapter 10: Cunning Creatures **

The room was lit by magical torches. Their illumination painted everything in shades of deep, deep red – fitting, perhaps, for the activities happening within the room and fitting for the people involved. A pair of remorseless and blood-drenched souls engaged in carnal pleasures, entangled in sheets of fine silk and a bedspread made from the soft, bespotted fur of nearly-extinct wild cats. His flesh was warm, while hers was cold and the man, not known by anyone for his delicacy, was gentler with the woman than he'd normally be with a mate. It wasn't as though she were a robust Gerudo. She was merely a Hylian, and, for the time being, he actually needed her to live and remain healthy.

After a while, Cecelia rose from the bed, leaving Ganondorf to stare after her at her well-formed behind and the long, pale hair trailing down her back. She went to the door and opened it, standing there in naught but what the Goddesses gave her. In the hallway, her errand-boy faced her. No more than a child of twelve years, he choked at the sight of his queen's pale, nude body. He trembled violently.

"Do you like what you see, boy?" Cecelia condescended. "Take a long look, for you will never get to touch it. We are in need of a light snack. Go to the kitchen and fetch for us a bottle of red wine – Ambrosia 24 from the basement and… oh… Lord Ganondorf requires some fresh, young lamb, roasted, medium rare."

She touched the child's chin and cheek with the long fingers of her left hand. "Be quick about it."

The errand-boy sprinted down the hall. Cecelia retreated back into her bedroom and closed the door. "I shall remember to have that boy's eyes put out later," she said.

"You should have more respect for your body," Ganondorf stated.

Cecelia sat down on the bed, giving her lover a good look at her long and shapely back. She trailed a finger over the silk sheets. "I can see why your Gerudo girls call you The Stallion."

"You have a small portion of the power of a Goddess resting within you. If you are not careful with it, it could destroy you."

"You mean that royal treasure I took?"

"You are out of balance. Your skin feels like the skin of a corpse."

"Don't tell me you've had your way with corpses."

"The ice and the waters may be of Nayru, but, my little Hylian princess, you are a fool."

"Queen, remember? By your orders once you took over the Council and I've asserted my rights."

Cecelia slid up against him on the bed and played a hand idly over his chest. This was dangerous, like petting a tiger. This man had given her more of a thrill than any of the young trainees of the Royal Guard or the boys from the marketplace she'd snuck into her bedroom as a teenager. He was like electricity or fire – or like making love to the desert itself.

"I shall get my balance. I just need to find the other crystals. My loyal soldiers picked up a tip regarding dear little Kara's whereabouts."

"Zelda is the one that is important. And Link."

"Do not worry about him. In this lifetime, he is weak. The power of Din covers the land – your alignment. He'll be quite weak without the forests. And, remember, you have beaten him before."

"The Lost One," Ganondorf mused with a smile. "Did I tell you how, in celebration of my victory, I ripped the torn, still heart from his chest and ate it? The blood of Heroes is always very strong, very satisfying…"

A small, cautious knock came upon the bedroom door.

"Like fresh, young lamb."

* * *

Death was following Link everywhere beneath the white-hot sun. He rode slowly to Mido over clay flats. He'd come across the dry, bleached skeletal remains of a fallen horse. It was not a complete skeleton – just the skull, the jaw, the neck and a partial ribcage. Its empty eye socket stared up at him from the tawny dust and sand. It felt like it was seeing through him. He'd watched vultures soar above his head, riding air currents, lilting and dipping, dark and graceful. He watched them land at the carcass of a deer, which they tore into.

Death was following the Hero and he did not want to think about it. Link looked ahead blankly, allowing Rhiannon to walk where she wished by the time they came to the gleaming white-stucco houses of the once port-town of Mido. Its docks now overlooked a vast, sandy plain. Rhiannon started trotting on her own, right toward a fountain.

"Link…" Navi pleaded, "please pay attention! I don't like seeing you like this."

"Who is it going to be, Navi?" Link asked forlornly. He had told his fairy companion of the vision he'd had. "I already lost someone close to me… not very long ago at all. I miss Uncle Russell every day."

"You can't worry about things like that right now, Link! There are many people counting on you!"

"If I can't protect everyone, who can I protect?"

"Link, stop it."

The young man slid off the saddle and patted Rhiannon on the neck as she drank deeply from the fountain at the edge of town. The edges of it were green and the fount that bubbled up at its center was languid. "I wonder if it's safe for me to be here," he said. "The town doesn't look very lively, but with what happened with the Gerudo tribe back there…"

A young woman with black hair approached him. "Welcome to Mido," she said. "Are you a long-distance traveler?"

Link nodded politely.

"Hey! It's him!"

"Whoa, you're right, it is!"

Link startled, ready to fling himself back up into the saddle and make a run for it, until he realized that the voices belonged to children. A little boy and a little girl ran up to him. They looked at him expectantly.

"Mister? Are you the wanted man?" the little boy asked, "You're helping Princess Zelda, aren't you?"

Link made a small noise of surprise, a little grunt.

"Yeah!" the little girl said. "We don't like Queen Cecelia around here. We know she's up to something bad."

Link looked to the children, to the woman and to the town, his features marked by confusion.

"You'll see posters up all over town," the woman told him, "but we haven't had those ghastly soldiers here in a long time. We know that Princess Zelda wouldn't go off with just anyone and we aren't too keen on the Crown right now. We know foul play is afoot."

"An' someone said you cleaned the Bone Temple!" the little boy said. "They had to leave, though."

"Huh? Who?" Link asked.

"A real nice lady named Sheik came through here!" the girl said, "She told us everything!"

"So, what brings you to our fair city?" the woman asked.

"I… I need to see a man named Duncan Mido."

"The mayor," the woman said. "His office is that big mansion up ahead."

* * *

"Sir, there's an outlaw with a fairy here to see you."

"Huh? Fado, if this is another one of your pranks…"

"No! There's a young man here to see you and he has a blue fairy with him."

"Blue… not a healer….hmmm. Make sure he's disarmed and let him in. I will speak with him."

"Very well, sir."

Moments later, Fado opened the door followed by Link and Navi. Link felt decidedly naked without his gunbelt and even more vulnerable without the Master Sword. It, along with his father's blade, was leaned up against the wall in the hallway outside. "Don't worry about your gear," the woman said. "We'll take care of it.

Fado was a rather strange woman, Link decided. She appeared to be middle-aged. She was blond and styled her hair into two large buns. She was tall and slender and she wore plastic-framed, horn-rimmed glasses. She was very little like the man Link knew back at Ordona Ranch that bore her same name.

"Thanks, doll," the mayor said, waving his hand. "Get me a fresh typewriter ribbon from the supply closet, will you?"

Fado nodded and left.

The mayor looked up at Link and Navi from behind his desk. He was a rather chubby man, and balding – with just a wisp of bright red hair at the top of his head. He adjusted his glasses. "So, what do you want of the great and powerful Mido, peasant?"

"Um," Link began, shifting one boot against the other, "I have been sent here on a mission and it involves you."

"A mission? What are you talking about? I've not been involved in any dirty dealings if that's what you're thinking, Mr. Wanted Outlaw. I run a clean city. What could you possibly be here for? If you're wanting playmates for your fairy friend, I hate to tell you, but the sacred fairy spring around here dried up close to five years ago."

"A friend told me to come find a man named Duncan Mido. She really wants to see you again. That is you, correct?"

"Yes, yes, that's correct," the man replied. His gaze upon Link widened. "You look terribly familiar," he said, "and not just from the wanted posters, I mean. I guess you have one of those kinds of faces."

"I'll give it to you straight," Link said, narrowing his gaze. "I am trying to bring the forests back to Hyrule. I need you and all the other Kokiri to do it. You look vaguely familiar to me, but I cannot place you, either… it's not like the vision I had with Saria…."

"Kokiri?" Mayor Mido exclaimed, "Saria? Saria is still alive?"

Link nodded. Navi left his shoulder to buzz about the chubby mayor's head. "You sure grew up," she said.

Another little ball of light leapt out of the pocket of Mido's coat and flit about, chattering excitedly. "Navi?" she said, "It really is you!"

Link laughed softly and pointed at the mayor casually. "It would seem that I am right regarding your race, sir?"

"Yes, yes," Mido said, wrinkling his nose. "I don't know how a guy like you would know about the Kokiri."

Navi spun around his wisp of hair. "Oh, Mido, don't tell me you don't remember! I have enough problems with him and that as it is! This is Link!"

"Link?" Mido asked, adjusting his glasses. "No, no," he concluded, shaking his head. "He left the forest long before any of us, turned out to be a Hylian… It's bad enough the Kokiri started to age when the forests vanished, but no Hylian could live this long. Besides, I heard he bought it on some battlefield somewhere."

Link held his hand out and his index finger up. "I… um…I kind of have this interesting problem – problem or asset… I'm not sure. I've been told that this isn't my first and only lifetime. I'm subject to reincarnation. Yeah, yeah, it took me a while to believe and accept it, too…"

"It's true!" Navi chimed brightly. "It's been hundreds of years, but he is our Link!"

"In any case," Link continued, "Saria needs you. She is waiting in Old Kakariko for you and the other Kokiri. I'm supposed to take you there."

"All right," the mayor said, "I can't just leave my city for anything, but if it's for Saria… And…you…" he shook his head, "You do look familiar… like a ghost, I guess. I'm trying to decide whether or not to trust you."

"Oh, Mido!" his own fairy scolded, "This is Navi. Navi wouldn't just travel with some schmoe."

"He's a noble outlaw," Navi promised.

"Do you know where the other Kokiri are?" Link asked, "Saria didn't know and I have no idea where to even start looking."

Mido grabbed his cane shuffled out from behind his desk. "My secretary, Miss Fado, is one. I can 'call' the rest, that is, if you can take me to the Great Deku Tree… if he still exists."

"Great Deku Tree?" Link asked.

"Yes!" Navi cried enthusiastically, "He lives! He's in Old Kakariko outside the Temple of the Goddesses. He's disguised himself very well… he looks like a big thorny mesquite tree, but that is just his shell. I sensed him. He is waiting."

Fado threw open the door of the room. "The Great Deku tree has been found?" she exclaimed, "We can go home?!"

Mido smiled and patted Link on the back. "We found Link again, too!" He laughed. "What a day."

* * *

The long stretch of land between Mido and Old Kakariko was rough country. Mido and Fado traveled in a small wagon drawn by Mido's mule. Link rode alongside it and found himself on guard. As if sensing the great destiny that traveled with this group, monsters of many shapes sprang out of the sands and came down out of the hills the entire way. The Master Sword was out much more than Link's gun as he'd gallop beside the wagon, keeping Rhiannon paced with the panicked mule, cutting down armored lizard-creatures and vicious skeletal dogs.

More than once, huge, reptilian birds appeared in the sky to dive down for the wagon. When Link was unlucky, they'd grab him up by the shoulders and toss him from the saddle. One of the creatures took the opportunity to chuck him into a bed of cholla cactus. He plucked out as many of the stubborn needles as he could, enough so he could ride, but not enough to be comfortable.

To their fortune, the group found an underground path that was free of monsters. It was guarded by a cheerful Goron who called himself Rock. Once Link was able to calm Rhiannon and the mule down enough to enter the path, they rode through a great series of caverns. They came out at Old Kakariko.

"Have you got all the needles out of him?" Midna asked, walking up to Link, who was sitting on the bench at the boarded up old General Store and to Impa Adelaide, who was engaged in merciless work with a pair of tweezers.

"Just… one…more."

"GAH!"

"There!" Adelaide said. "If I'd left them in, they would have worked their way into your body and become infected. Doesn't it feel better with them out now?"

"Which goddess invented cholla, anyway? I'd like to weaponize that stuff."

"I have something to show you, Link," Midna said. "I would have showed you before, but I did not know how safe it was without the Master Sword being on you or near."

"Yeah? What?"

"A power from the old days that we borrowed and I never returned," the Twilight Queen said with a laugh. It may help us on the journey ahead."

She held up a strange black stone, and as soon as she did, she plunged it, like the tip of a dagger, right into Link's shoulder. He screamed and was engulfed in strange, swirling energy like thick black smoke.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Adelaide demanded, going for her jian.

Midna stepped back. "I suppose it's taking a moment longer because wolf boy here hasn't done it in centuries."

The thick, smoke-like magic dissipated. A four legged creature stood before the two women, growling and looking very displeased. Midna let out a short gasp, and then she started laughing wildly.

The unfortunate animal barked and yipped. He sniffed his front paws, and then his hind paws. He turned around in circles. He barked again, a high pitched, small yipping sound.

Impa Adelaide glared at Midna. "You turned him into a coyote?"

Midna got a hold of herself. "I was trying for a wolf, actually. In the lifetime in which I knew him, this stone could change him into a wolf. I guess this is more reflective of him in this lifetime. Oh, Link, you look so cute with your big ears and golden fur!"

Link braced himself on all fours, raised his hackles and growled.

"Careful, Midna," Adelaide cautioned. "Coyotes aren't as big as wolves, but they can be very dangerous, too."

"I suppose this will be good for stealth," Midna concluded.

"Coyotes are cunning," Adelaide said, "they're adaptable and they're survivors. That is why they do so well in this harsh land when so many other creatures fail. I think all of that fits our Link pretty well."

"Will you let me change you back?" Midna asked the canine. "I can't change you back unless you let me touch you."

Midna reached down and Adelaide could not tell if she was simply pulling the dark crystal out of him or if she was stroking the place on his back where the Master Sword was affixed in his human form, but the strange magic swirled about Link again and in a moment, he was crouched on the ground on all fours, a man. He squeaked out a yip. Midna's laughter could be heard through the whole of Kakariko.

* * *

Link walked up the steps to the area right outside the Temple of the Goddesses. He stood next to Zelda, who was watching Saria, Mido and Miss Fado all get re-acquainted with each other. Navi chattered with Mido and Fado's fairies.

"Oh, Link, you've come!" Saria said. "We wanted you to be here. We were waiting for you."

"…Alright."

Saria pointed to the mesquite tree. Being careful of the thorns, old Mido hobbled over to it and touched its outer bark. "I knew that idiot couldn't really kill you," he muttered.

"Link didn't do anything and you know it!" Saria protested.

"I was talking about Ganondorf," Mido said. He then stood before the tree, put his fingers to his lips and let out a sharp, loud, high-pitched whistle.

The top of the tree began shaking.

Figures came down out of the hills and desert from all directions. They hopped over the rocks and glided over the sands gracefully. They appeared ghostly, like images in watercolor. Each and every one of them was accompanied by a fairy. Some of the fairies were solid, like Navi, some where just as ghostly as the mysterious figures. Each and every one of the people that had come out of nowhere were children clad in bright green clothing.

"This land is full of cunning creatures," Zelda said, "Men, women and beasts, from the coyotes that sing on the hilltops, to the unworthy rulers that practice politics… to children that hide in plain sight."

"Where are they all coming from?" Link asked.

"It is normal for Kokiri to vanish from the eyes of other races when we do not wish to be seen," Saria answered. She held out her hands to receive a small, spectral fairy that had zipped through the sky to her. "But in this case, Link, Mido, Fado and I are all that's left of our race flesh and bone – these others that you see are spirits in need of rest."

A little boy wandered right in between Link and Zelda, forcing them to move. He began playing a leaf-shaped fiddle. "The other Fado!" someone exclaimed, "Great to have you here, Mr. Important Sage!"

"Long-deceased Sage," the boy, Fado, corrected. "I'm afraid Makar could not join us. As I'm sure you know, our sister race has found its own peace."

"Two great Sages here! This is auspicious!" someone piped up.

"Don't forget the Hero," Saria said, pointing in Link's direction, "and the rightful Princess of Hyrule. They are the reason why we must make this final ceremony."

"Final?" Link asked. "What do you mean, Saria?"

"We've gotten old," Mido groused. "That shouldn't happen to us… getting old. We're supposed to be kids forever. You stay a grownup too long and you start falling apart!"

"Hey!" a spectral Kokiri girl who was calling herself Lafa said, "The guy in the weird hat looks familiar."

"Yeah, he does!" a boy named Remi agreed. "Have we seen you somewhere before, mister?"

Link crouched down to one knee and met the two eye to eye. He smiled a sad smile. "Maybe it's for the best that you don't remember me," he said, "my own memories are fuzzy."

"MY CHILDREN!" boomed a thick, authoritative voice. Everyone, at once, turned their attention to the mesquite tree, even Midna and Adelaide, who both had come up behind Link and Zelda to see what was going on. The tree began shaking, as if caught in an earthquake, though the ground around it and the Temple of the Goddesses remained firm and still. Bark began shedding from him like roof tiles caught in a fierce storm. Needles, leaves and mesquite bean pods showered onto the ground and turned instantly to dust. Link gawked as he saw a magnificent, lush tree of a species he did not recognize. What's more is that it appeared to have a face.

"MY CHILDREN," it said again, "YOU HAVE COME TO ME, FINALLY."

"Yes, Great Deku Tree," Saria said respectfully, "As the Sage of Forest, I have searched long and hard for you throughout the dry lands. It is time for us to renew." Saria bowed as low as she could in her aged and aching body. When she rose up again, she had become much shorter than she was before. Her hair was brighter and her skin was soft. She was a young girl.

Mido and Miss Fado had likewise changed – Miss Fado had shed her glasses and become a little girl with her blond hair up in two substantial buns. Mido had become a bratty-looking little boy.

Link simply stared. Zelda patted him on the shoulder, taking everything with serenity. The tree's "eyes" turned to look directly at Link and it spoke again. "THANK YOU FOR BRINGING MY DEAR LITTLE CHILDREN BACK TO ME, HERO…. LINK!"

All the Kokiri's heads turned at once.

"Link?"

"What, really?"

"I thought he died a long time ago!"

Lafa grabbed him by the hand and pulled him toward the Great Deku Tree and to all the grouped Kokiri. They swarmed all around him, touching him with ghostly hands, stroking his ears and looking into his eyes. They all seemed to be too afraid to touch his gun and gunbelt or to touch the Master Sword. After several moments of this, the hugs came.

"We missed you!" Fala said.

"We're sorry Mido was mean to you!" Soti apologized.

Mido crossed his arms with a "Humph."

"CHILDREN, IT IS TIME."

"We've got to go, Link!" Remi said, "It was nice seeing you again! Goodbye!"

"Goodbye?" Link asked.

Saria approached him while he was still crouched and caressed his cheek. "Link, we have to go now. We cannot remain in this world any longer."

"What do you mean, Saria? I've just gotten to remember you."

"You were a great best friend, Link… and you knew to be nice to a poor old woman. I had to lose you a long time ago. I'm afraid it's your turn to lose me. I am sorry, but this is the way it has to be… for Hyrule… for the future…. And for our peace."

"Saria…"

The hand on his cheek began to feel strange and hard. Saria's form began changing. Her eyes became dull and her skin began to take on the appearance of wood. Her feet became roots, snaking down into the earth and her hair became leaves.

"They're turning into a forest!" Zelda exclaimed.

Fairies flit at the Kokiri-trees' newly forming roots. They vanished, leaving grass behind their glittering trails. Navi returned to Link's hat. "You still need me in my present form," she said.

Link remained kneeling, a branch cupping his cheek where a small hand once was. It was the lowest branch on what had become a massive willow tree. Her weeping fronds swayed in the wind. Tears fell from his eyes.

Zelda tapped him on the shoulder. "Come on," she said. "They've made their decision."

Link stood, feeling dull and numb. He looked up, surprised to be in shade. He was standing among tall trees of many kinds. Light dappled the ground through the canopy of leaves. The entire temple was surrounded by this forest. The trees shaded the buildings of Old Kakariko. The main street was left open. The townspeople looked up and around, dumbfounded. This was not a large forest, more of a grove, but it was a larger grouping of trees than Link had ever seen in this lifetime.

The Great Deku tree had gone silent. His "face" took on the appearance of a sleeping old man's. A wind blew through the little forest. It swirled up dust and light right before the gigantic old tree. A green, glowing light formed and left a sphere of emerald light, encased in a crystal. It spun in place upon the grass.

"The Crystal of Forest!" Adelaide gasped.

Link approached it slowly, drying his tears. He silently picked the crystal up. It crackled and dissipated, its magic infusing into his left arm. A green glow pulsed within his left bicep. A red-orange glow pulsed in his right bicep. Both glows vanished. Link closed his eyes and stretched out his left hand. "Kaze no Farore" he said in a soft, yet authoritative voice.

Suddenly, he vanished in a swirl of wind. Zelda, Midna and Adelaide gasped. He reappeared behind Midna.

"A small teleport," Midna said. "That could prove useful. How far can you go?"

Link closed his eyes and concentrated. He vanished and reappeared at the south end of town, then warped back again. "Only about that far… I couldn't push it any further."

"You can probably use that in dangerous places – if you need to make a quick escape," Midna offered.

"Taking care of my life, I guess…" Link mused, "And Farore is associated with life. The incantation means 'Farore's Wind.' Farore is also the Goddess of Courage… why would running away from danger be associated with that?"

"Well, Zelda said, "If you play the spell right, you might use it to run to a fight – after getting yourself wisely well-supplied. This could be a great convenience to you, even if it is of limited range."

Link sighed. "Well, Midna, I already told you of how the spring spirits need your special brand of help. Are you ready to go?"

Midna nodded. "Perhaps you should travel on four legs instead of two. I shall require a steed, but horses are hard to keep out in the desert, as I'm sure you well know. It is better to have only one to feed and water than two. A canine's feet are swift."

"You're right, but I found changing my form uncomfortable."

"At least you do not have anyone riding you."

Link turned around, submitting to Midna's whim. She plunged the crystal into his shoulder. In a moment, he'd become a coyote.

"A very handsome beast," Zelda said, crouching down. Link let her stroke his head and ears. He licked her hand gently.

"Much nicer than he was with me," Midna groused.

"I'm not the one who turned him into an animal," Zelda said with a smile. "You two take care of each other out there."

"We will," Midna replied, "just as we did before."

Link's large ears perked. He heard something, but he knew it did not come from an external source. He felt a pulsing sensation in his left foreleg. Echoing through his mind was Saria's voice:

"_I am with you, Link! I am helping you save Hyrule, yes I am!" _

* * *

End Chapter 10.

Turn to the Next.


	11. Home

**THE GREAT DESERT**

**Chapter 11: Home **

The last dying embers of sunset rested over the desert. Small, deft feet raced across the sand, followed by the iron-shod feet of a horse. Link had been through his transformation and back several times by now. He was beginning to become used to his animal form. He was even starting to enjoy this body. Rhiannon knew and trusted him, though his shape was different than the one she was used to. She told him that she did not like his coyote-reek and had a hard time smelling the "Link" beneath it. Link could understand her language when he was a beast and she, in turn, could better understand him. Midna seemed to understand his yipping just a little, but not much. Link had learned some surprising things about his horse. Rhiannon did not see him entirely as a "master" or even a partner. Link supposed it was because he'd cared for her from the time she was a foal: She had revealed to him that she thought of him as a father.

Midna wore a black hat, not much unlike Link's. To her displeasure, Navi liked to hide herself under it, complaining that staying close to Link's fur was too much for her. Coyotes were fairly musky animals and Link was no exception.

Link's feet hit familiar ground and he stopped. Midna halted Rhiannon sharply. "Link?" she asked, "What's wrong?"

She looked around for danger before dismounting. Link nodded and yipped, his signal that he wanted to be returned to his natural form. Midna restored him.

"Alright, bug," she said to Navi, "You can get out of lovely Midna's beautiful hair now. He's back to his old self."

"What a relief!" Navi said, hovering out from under the Twili's hat. "Your hair was getting sweaty!"

Midna glared at her before turning her attention to Link. "Why are we stopped?" she asked. "Lanayru said to come this way."

"I know," Link said. "This is close to my home. I want to scout about, make sure there are no soldiers or bounty hunters about. If we're so close to the ranch…I'd like to see my people again."

"Do not forget that we are on a mission," Midna said.

"I don't know how they'll react to you. They ain't seen anybody like you before. You will behave yourself, right?"

"What, Hero, don't you trust me?"

"I saw what you did to that cow."

"It was necessary and you eat beef, don't you?"

Before going to Lanayru's hidden spring, the group had headed to the Gerudo Fortress to barter for a cow or horse. Midna had claimed that creating an exit warp-point of twilit magic sufficient enough to transport any beings larger than a cat required the sacrifice of a large, living creature. There was nothing religious whatsoever in this kind of sacrifice; it was merely a scientific matter, the physics of a twilit warp portal – organic material was required for the transmutation spell.

They weren't about to sacrifice Rhiannon. Even though they were not aware of what Link was planning, the Gerudo would not part with one of their prized horses. He managed to talk them into giving him a milk cow, with sufficient rupees out of his wallet, of course. He and Midna had led the poor, oblivious beast to the spring where Midna unbound her hair, formed it into a massive glowing hand, used its strength to levitate the animal into the air above the dry spring bed and shot it with a bolt of twilit magic. With a great moo, the poor bovine exploded into hundreds of little black blotches in the sky, which gathered and formed a large black hole that remained static, in place, awaiting its purpose.

Midna tried to assure Link, despite the dramatic nature of the portal's creation, that the cow had felt no pain. She also informed him that it was the only sacrifice they needed. She was certain she could warp objects and living beings of any size and composition straight to that exit-hole. She also spoke of the time when these portals littered Hyrule, back when she and Link's former incarnation had to fight a war against her own hopelessly-transformed people. "A cow is a very small sacrifice," she'd said.

* * *

After observing the ranch from the desert hills, the little group stole into Ordona Ranch quietly. The lights at the Ordona family ranch house were on. After quietly stabling Rhiannon, Link and Midna quietly stepped up onto the porch. Link gave the front door a few soft raps.

"Who could it be?" Malon asked, rising from her seat. "If it's another one of those soldiers…."

She opened the door to Link's gently smiling face, the tall Twili queen behind him, and the gentle glow of his companion fairy.

"Link? Oh, Link…" Malon draped her arms around him in a strong hug. "You're alright. We've all been so worried… What are you doing here?"

"I'm here on a mission," Link said gently, stepping through the door, Malon still hugging him. "The ranch was near… didn't see any of the Royal Guard goons around, thought I'd pay a visit."

"Is this one of your girlfriends, Link?" Midna asked slyly.

Link separated himself from the young woman's arms. "No, no, cousin, actually, but more like a big sister. This is Malon. Malon, this gorgeous creature before you is none other than Queen Midna of the Twilight Realm."

Malon stepped back, taking her in. "A queen… really… Link you've…"

"I've gotten into some things that are over my head, yes. But it will all work out. I'm doing some things that, if I play it right, will help us all and restore the land to the way it's supposed to be. The little lady sitting on the brim of my hat is Navi."

Navi floated before Malon's nose. Malon held her hands out, astonished. "I…I…I" she stuttered, "I can't believe this, Link! You… you found a fairy?"

"Yep!" Navi piped cheerfully.

"All this time," Malon laughed, "I can't believe that all this time they were real, after all."

Everyone sat down at the kitchen table. "Link, this is just incredible… all of this," Malon said, regarding him from across its surface.

Link removed his hat. He let his ears droop slightly. "I am sorry if I have caused all of you undue stress. I'm sure there's been extra work for you since I haven't been around and I know that people have been all over this place, asking about me. I've seen a little of the news."

Malon reached out and touched his hand. She tried to blink back the tears in her eyes. "Link… forgive us. When those investigators came….we just didn't know what to do. They wouldn't take the truth and we were worried the palace soldiers would send us to the dungeons and burn this place to the ground if we did not tell them what they wanted to hear. We said some terrible things about you."

Link squeezed her hand gently. "That's okay," he said hoarsely. "You did exactly what I'd hoped you would do. I wanted you to protect yourselves. I want you to continue to do so. I don't care about my good name, as long as all of you are safe. I've been taking care of myself out there. You don't need to worry."

"Where is Zelda?"

"She is in a safe place."

"Queen Cecelia and Presi---King Ganondorf are calling for your execution. We've been doing what we can to throw her people off the trail. You can't stay here, Link. They'll be back."

"We're not going to stay long – a day at the most. I also…want to see…Uncle."

"Of course," Malon said, squeezing his hand. "What happened to your sword? That's not your father's sword."

"I left Dad's sword with a friend – a weapons expert, a real tough lady. She'll take good care of it. The sword I have now is… its special. Have you been taking care of the gun I gave you?"

"Yes. And I haven't had to use it once."

Link smiled broadly. "Very good. I hope things stay that way."

"Are all y'all hungry? I'll make you whatever you want… maybe some steak and eggs for Link but I have no idea what fairies or Twili eat…"

"A guardian fairy eats whatever her charge eats," Navi said. "I share off Link's plate."

"Cat," Midna said, or "or a good civet or fox."

"Oh, good Din!" Malon said, putting a hand to her lips.

Midna smiled wickedly, and then waved her hand. "Beef and cuckoo ovum will be fine."

"You don't have to…" Link said, grabbing her arm gently from where he sat. "I can cook us something."

"You look tired," Malon said, "and a bit malnourished." Quite suddenly, she hugged him and began crying again. "With the way things have gone… I didn't know that I would see you alive ever again."

For the first time in what felt like forever, Link slept in his own bed. It had never felt softer or more relaxing. Malon had put Midna up in her father's old room with its big bed and tried her best to make her accommodations as "royal" as possible. Midna assured her that she was used to much worse – naps in the wilderness against smelly dog fur. Malon did not know what she was talking about, but was glad that the Twili wasn't particularly demanding. She's offered the dollhouse she'd played with as a girl to Navi, but the fairy opted to sleep where she always did – in the warmth of Link's hair.

* * *

The next day found Link standing before a grave. After he'd greeted everyone in town – and gotten squeezed nearly to death by Fado, he'd taken the quiet path to the edge of town to the place where his uncle had been buried. He struck the tip of the Master Sword into the ground and knelt before the stone monument that had been placed there. The headstone had been carved quite recently. It was a twin-memorial, honoring Russell while also replacing his Aunt Darla's small headstone.

"You've gained the Master Sword, I see," a wizened voice said behind him. Link stood up and sheathed the blade. Lady Gwen hobbled over to him. "Do not be surprised, boy – I'd know that blade anywhere. It only confirms what I have known about you for a long time."

"I'm sorry," Link said, "that I never really believed in all that destiny stuff."

"Not to worry," Gwen replied. "Destiny is like love – it catches you when you least expect it. Your eyes – your gaze is more powerful than it was before. I am afraid that there is less innocence in them but I see more of the other qualities… Time, nature, honor… they are all swirling together within your eyes. They are wild, cunning…noble."

"The ranch seems to be a bit… greener now. I mean, there's still desert all around this place, but it seems like there's more grass and bushes here now."

"It has grown just a little bit since you've been gone. Some of the spread has begun recently…within the last few days." The old woman held up her hand. "Ah, ah, ah! You don't have to tell me what happened - I know that you're involved somehow. Still, all of the new growth as well as the old will wither under the blistering sands unless this cursed world is brought back into balance."

"The monument is very nice," Link said suddenly, "Who made it?"

"Oh," Lady Gwen said with a wave of her hand, "It was carved by the hermit who lives up on Ferrin Hill. He was well-acquainted with your uncle, though your uncle never spoke of him much. His name is Blake Bladebringer, I believe. Russ would go up to visit him sometimes; while on his camping trips… you remember those, don't you? You and Malon would come stay with me when you both were small."

"And you'd tell us to stay out of your special tea. I remember. Malon got into it once and saw colors."

"Blake used to work in the Royal Guard before he took to the 'simple life.' He came down off the hill not long after you left… waited 'till the guardsmen and investigators left, of course. We told him all of what happened. He started ranting about 'wicked Princess Cecelia,' and so forth. Said he knew that power she had, the ice-power…something about a crystal kept in the royal treasury, how she must have gotten to it and taken it into herself."

Link's eyes were wide and his jaw was nearly on the ground. "Where is he, Gwen? Do you know? I have to talk with him!"

"He's up on Ferrin Hill, some cabin on the eastern ridge, I believe."

Link bent down level with the hunched old woman, took her face in his hands and kissed her full on the lips. "Thank you, Gwen; you don't know how much you've just helped me!"

With that, Link grabbed a tiny object from one of his vest pockets, tapped it to enact the spell that had been placed upon it to spring it back to its normal size, and put it on his left hand. He aimed the clawshot at a tree growing up on the rocky base of a hill next to the graveyard and rocketed up. He hopped from one scraggly tree or sturdy rock to the next for about an hour until he found an old game-trail to follow. He did not bother to wait for Midna or even for Navi – both were by one of the livestock paddocks entertaining the villagers with tales of their adventures with Link and with their general existence.

It was not long before Link found a small house – or, more precisely, a dilapidated shack. Its roof was made of corrugated metal that was rusting. Link shivered involuntarily when he saw the coyote hides tacked to the weathered wood of its west side. The young man did the only thing he could do – he boldly walked up to the door and knocked on it.

"ACK! Who's there?" screeched a decidedly startled voice from inside.

"Ah-hem!" Link said, clearing his throat, "I'm here to see a Mr. Blake Bladebringer. I believe he knew my uncle?"

The door opened with a prolonged creak. A thin man stared back at Link, his eyes wide and sunken, his hair greasy. He looked to Link like a man haunted by the ghosts of war. He did not look at all sane.

"You…" the man said slowly, "You are Link Ordona Jr., correct?"

"Uh, yeah, but how did you know my name?"

"I have been waiting for you a long time," Blake answered. He suddenly went down on both knees in front of Link and bowed his head low. "I see you've brought a sword and a gun – pick either one. Just make it quick."

"Make what quick?"

"Aren't you here to have your revenge? To kill me?"

"WHAT?"

"I am, in part, responsible for the deaths of your parents. Russell never told you?"

Link shook his head. "N-no," he said. "Get up, please. I came here because I wanted to speak with you about Princess Cecelia… and my uncle… and… now you have something else to tell me. I'm not going to kill you."

"You may wish to after I have told you the story," Blake said, rising to his feet.

"Why don't you tell me the story first?"

* * *

Blake took Link inside his humble home. They spent many hours in conversation. Link watched the sun set outside the shack's windows and he watched the stars appear.

"I did a little investigation on my own," Blake said, "I still had friends at the palace. Russ and I were pretty sure that, even at that young age, Cecelia was behind the king's murder. Such a lust for power… such coldness… that young. We said nothing, sure that we would be dismissed outright or executed. Besides, Russell wanted you and his daughter to have a good, peaceful life away from politics and intrigues."

"The crystal you spoke of..?"

"The sacred Crystal of Ice… a powerful spell also known as Nayru's Love - its full potential unleashed. In the past, it was used as a simple protection spell – but it is said that a person with enough power could unleash the very waters of Nayru herself contained within it. Cecelia has apparently unleashed the ice, though it does not seem as though she has yet tapped into the waters. She had to have taken it into herself somehow… It is very dangerous. It can easily be set off-balance."

"If it is inside her, where would it be inside her?"

"Why would you want to know?"

Link put forth his right hand and produced a jet of flame from his palm, which he quickly extinguished. He put forth his left hand and produced a tiny whirlwind with sparks of green energy that resembled tiny leaves. Blake stared, astonished.

"I need the third Crystal," Link said frankly. "I cannot bring the world back into balance without it."

Blake nodded stupidly. "It would most likely be in one of her arms, to filter her own powers through it. You saw her in action yourself, which arm did she cast with?"

"Her right," Link answered.

"Defeat her, kid," Blake admonished. "Her and that demon she raised."

Link looked up suddenly. "You mean Ganondorf."

"Yes." Blake said. "He is the ancient evil, the one that has plagued Hyrule since time immemorial – rising up to be defeated by the Hero, in short, the Demon King in all those stories that Lady Gwen down in the village told you as a kid. He's always been the same person, the same Ganondorf…sometimes going by the name Ganon. When Queen Daphne disappeared and he began appearing in the newspapers, I just knew in my gut that Cecelia had sacrificed her to bring him back."

"Sacrifice? I thought Ganondorf had been elected…"

"If the people knew who he was, that election would have never taken place – though what did take place was crooked… fixed. And, yes. Having been chosen by Power, the Demon King can never truly be killed – only sealed away in a void, a limbo between the Sacred Realms and oblivion, between life and death… or at least, that is what I've read. You may want to ask Lady Gwen about this stuff if you want to know more. He can be brought back through a sacrifice of blood from someone of either the Royal Line or the Hero's Line. It all has something to do with the Triforce or something… again, Gwen knows more about this stuff than I do. The Demon first is awakened by the smell of the blood as the gateway to the void is opened. Upon emerging, he drinks it.... eats the victim's raw liver to regain his strength…the heart to restart his own… What happens after that is disturbing."

Link was making a face. "I think that was more than I needed to know."

"Sorry."

"Thank you so much, sir."

Blake gave Link a very strange look. "Don't thank me. You do remember what I told you, right? I helped lead my captain right to your parents and he killed them."

"But you also told me of how you stopped him from killing me. You saved my life, sir. You didn't know what was going to happen. It was good to talk to you… to… to know, to know what really happened."

Link rose and left the shack silently. Blake watched him descend the trail in silence.

When he reached the village, Midna ran to him and Navi flitted to him. "Where have you been?" Midna groused, "Everyone was worried about you. I thought that maybe you'd just ditched us in this nothing little town."

Link dropped to his knees on the ground. He'd shown little emotion to Blake as the man had told him of the past. The things he'd said were hitting him now, all of a sudden, dropped upon his heart by a mysterious gravity. He pulled his hands away from his face and saw the tears. They had been his parents, but why was he crying for people he didn't even know?

Navi alighted on his shoulder and began singing. Link began to grow calmer. It wasn't anything that he remembered, but a gentle fairy song was what she'd used to calm him down and soothe his grief during his life as the Hero of Time. It was not anything recorded in any of books that had been written about him.

"Link?" Midna asked.

Navi shushed her. "Sometimes the strongest warrior is still a child inside," she said, then resumed her singing.

Midna knelt down to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. Whatever happened, you should come inside, okay?" He accepted her help and she brought him to his feet.

"We're going to find Ordona's spring spirit," he said, "The rest can wait just a little while longer. I'm going after Cecelia."

"Link!" Midna exclaimed, "I do not think your power is sufficient yet. Striding into Castle Town right now is suicide."

"I can't wait anymore." Link said forlornly.

* * *

The golden man wore a headdress that resembled the circular, joined horns of a blue goat. He wore draping clothing that looked like shaggy hides. He was a very strong-looking man and Link was surprised that the spirit was so masculine in appearance. One of the stories Lady Gwen had told him had the spirit Ordona being a female. One of the stories he'd read had the spirit as animal in form. Ordona simply replied something about spirits and androgyny and choosing how he wanted to present himself at any given time. His spring was a shallow, muddy pond and the area was alive with the chirping and squeaking of frogs and toads, there to breed. The slime and remnants of their fornications lined the spring's edges.

Before Midna made ready to transport him to the spring of Lanayru, he addressed Link and told him of a local feature that he should see.

"It is on the flat edge near the top of Apex Mountain," he said, pointing across the desert. You should go there, Hero. It is about time you meet Them and this may be your only chance to, for they move in most mysterious ways. Surely, they will give you the power you need."

"Why? What is up there?" Link asked.

Ordona nodded sagely. "That mountain holds the very earthly abode of the Goddesses themselves."

"What?" Link squawked. "The Three?"

"Yes," Ordona stated. "Do you not believe this old spirit, Hero? Whether you believe or not, test my words. Surely thou art curious. You have nothing to lose and much to gain."

"Are you ready, old man?" Midna asked.

Ordona nodded and she sent him skyward. He dissipated into black fragments and was gone.

* * *

Link used a combination of the clawshot and Farore's Wind to get Midna, Navi and himself up the craggy and thorny slope of Apex Mountain. They landed upon a natural shelf and beheld something nestled between rocks. It looked like the entrance to a canyon, but they were already high upon a mountain. There were statues in rosy-colored stone and in white marble. They depicted women, spirits and great fairies. There were three figures in white marble that, to Link, resembled chess pieces for some odd reason – a young man with a sword, a maiden wearing a crown and a large, armored man that bore an uncanny resemblance to Hyrule's current president, except that his face had some pig-like features.

Beyond this still garden, bordered by rosy-stone columns, was an immense structure that appeared to be made of some form of metal.

"Another Steel Temple?" Navi asked.

"It looks like it, doesn't it?" Link replied, "Except it is much, much larger."

Link strode boldly. Midna stayed but a few steps behind him, cursing her choice of boots. A voice issued from the structure, or more precisely, three voices.

"What? He's here?"

"It looks like he brought friends."

"One of our experiments actually found us?"

"Pipe down!"

"Too late, you've already been heard."

"Let's send him away. None of the mortals can handle the truth."

"He's my boy, I have faith in his courage and he came all this way. It's about time I meet him in life."

"Have it your way, but if he has an aneurism or heart attack, don't blame me. I'll put the equipment on standby."

Suddenly, there was a crackling sound before one of the voices spoke in earnest. "Welcome, Hero," it said, "Welcome to the corporeal home of the Goddesses. Please step forward."

Link took a few steps toward the structure before striking his sword into the ground and falling to his knees. He made the Sign of the Triangle over his heart and closed his eyes. Navi floated close to him. Midna took several steps back. "I shouldn't be here," she said, sorrow and fear evident in her voice. "I am one of the Cursed People."

The voice crackled to life again. "Fear not, Queen Midna," it said gently. "Thou art welcome here as well. Everyone come inside."

A door slowly came open, lowered upon invisible chains like a drawbridge. Link arose. A figure stepped out of the vast darkness toward him. It was wearing green clothing and gained in definition as it drew closer… closer…

Link figured that it must be one of the Goddesses' handmaidens or a priestess – except that she was dressed very casually – in jeans, boots and a green shirt. This woman looked downright ordinary. She had dark brown hair and the rounded ears of a normal human. She wore thin-framed eyeglasses. She was a head shorter than he was and looked utterly unremarkable.

The back of his left hand was tingling.

The ordinary woman looked straight at him and gave him a polite curtsey. "I am glad to see you, Link," she said, "I am Farore."

"Uh?" Link began. "You mean you're an attendant of Farore, right?"

"No," the woman replied. "I am her."

"… You're….you're…. short," the young Hero said incredulously.

"Is that all you have to say to me?" the woman asked. She giggled. "I know you were expecting someone more imposing. This will take some getting used to for you." She shouted into the doorway. "Din, Nayru, come out and greet our guests!"

Two other women came down the ramp. One was a blonde in a dark blue dress. She was taller than Farore and looked rather regal. The other was a very tall, muscular, dark-skinned woman with short hair, dressed casually in red. They looked like nice enough women, but there was nothing particularly special or divine-looking about them. Their ears were round. If they had great cosmic powers, they were not making a show of them at the moment. "Welcome" the woman in the dress said with a bow. The muscular woman greeted them with a simple "Yo."

"Am I…in the right place?" Link asked.

Farore giggled again. She sure liked to laugh. Link, Midna and Navi walked up the ramp. "Of course you're in the right place. You of all people should know by now that appearances can be deceiving and that the greatest of powers can come in the smallest and most mundane-looking of packages."

"I've seen statues and drawings of the Goddesses… they never looked like you. You look like mortals."

"And that we once were," the lady in blue, whom Farore identified as Nayru, said. "It is what we once were but are no longer and haven't been in ages upon ages. Our blood is kept fresh. We do not age. Who is to say whether it is a blessing or a curse?"

Link almost went into cardiac arrest when a small, strange creature scurried by his feet. It looked like a cuckoo with a bald, human head.

"Oh, don't mind her," Farore told him with a pat on his back. "That's just one of our Oocca."

"Ah… the race closest to you? Mysterious sky beings?" Link said. "I read about them, never thought I'd see one. I'd never believed they were real."

"Yep."

Midna seemed intensely interested in the bird. She glared at it. "Not anybody we knew," she said cryptically. "Never figured the things lived too long…"

"About the span of an average mortal," Farore said as they walked down a hallway lined in metal and gleaming with electric lights. "Not nearly as long as a Twili. I used to do work on improving their life spans, but there came a point where we did not need them anymore. Besides, they seem happy enough. After their work for us was done, we gave them a floating city. It drifts. The last time we kept track of it, it had drifted into Termina. Only a few Oocca remain here with us, by the choice of their ancestors."

Link looked around in wonderment. "I've been through a place sort of like this, not long ago – in the remains of old Lake Hylia. The computer there told me that it was a 'star-sailer."

"Exactly what this is," said Din, who was up ahead of everyone. "Pain in the butt to keep the basic systems maintained, too. Wreck won't fly anymore."

"We came long ago from a distant nebula," Nayru said, "That is what your stories tell you. That is what we have allowed the peoples to know, for it is the simplest explanation."

"You are brave enough to know this, Link," Farore sighed. "You've always been my courageous child. The Three of us came here on a mission to create a new world for our people, long, long ago. We underestimated many things and it has since become an eternity. Welcome to the abode of the Goddesses, Link. Welcome to our ship."

* * *

End Chapter 11.

Turn to the Next.


	12. The Gods Must Be Crazy

**THE GREAT DESERT**

**Chapter 12: The Gods Must Be Crazy**

Zelda sat in the common room of the Elde Inn watching television. She was gripping her hands together so hard that her knuckles were white. Her Impa Adelaide stood beside her, her hand resting on the back of the chair. Nearly the entire population of Old Kakariko was gathered around them. Everyone was watching a live news broadcast.

Or, more precisely, they were about to watch the first televised execution in Hyrule's history.

"Kara…" Zelda said, wringing her hands, "How did they find her? I didn't know… if I had known…"

"Not even I can help her now," Adelaide said, "And Link has no knowledge of this. We do not even know where he is at the moment. We can be glad that they bypassed this place, at least… her home was so close to us…"

The broadcast went on from the palace's south garden. Princess Kara stood tall and refused to disclose the whereabouts of Zelda. She was accused of high treason against High Queen Cecelia and King Ganondorf. She was held tightly by guards in plate armor. Ganondorf stood away from her, raised his right hand and sent a bolt of black and electric purple energy right into her chest. The result made everyone watching in the Elde Inn scream in horror.

A tear fell down Adelaide's right cheek. Zelda shook and began throwing up.

"Zelda!" Adelaide exclaimed. "Zelda…sssh…sshhh." The Impa attempted to soothe her, taking her hand and rubbing her back. Zelda fell against her in sobs and dry heaves.

The camera turned from the shocked soldiers holding the shreds of Kara's corpse to Ganondorf's face. "Such is the fate of all traitors," he said coldly and dark, "The faithless have nothing but a well-deserved death to look forward to. Today, Hyrule, know that I am your god!"

* * *

Link sat in a metal chair, his left arm buckled down into a strange, moveable but currently stationary apparatus. His hat rested on a table alongside many strange and delicate instruments. Farore was cleaning small tools and walking around the brightly lit, clinical-looking room in a loose white lab coat. It was what she'd said she felt most comfortable in. Navi had gone with Nayru to another part of the complex to see the "mother fairies." Midna was standing behind Link, gently stroking the edges and tips of his ears. Farore had instructed her to do that, claiming that it had a calming effect on Hylians.

Midna recalled, to her suppressed embarrassment, that ear-stroking had been something she'd seen young Hylian lovers do to each other as they kissed deeply_. Perhaps, this is as close as I'll ever get,_ she thought ruefully.

"Can you still move your hand, Link?" Farore asked.

He flexed his fingers feebly. "A little," he said.

"That won't do… your hand needs to be completely numb or this is going to be torture on you." The Goddess grabbed a small syringe and plunged the needle into Link's wrist. "There. It should go completely slack in a few minutes. You've taken more medication than I expected."

"Why are we doing this again?" Link asked.

"I need to retune your fragment of the Triforce," Farore replied simply. "Give it a little cleaning… make sure all the connections are functioning, see if I can liven up the power…At least it's in your hand this time around. In some of your past lives, its' been in your heart. If it were so this time around, it would make this procedure much more precarious."

"Just who are you, anyway?" Midna asked, "You are awfully….scientific…for gods."

"And just what is science?" Farore answered, "It is merely the method of explanation for the workings of the universe… or universes, rather. It should not surprise you that we have similarities to mortals, including behavior and technologies. Any technology sufficient enough is indistinguishable from magic, though we did not know much of true magic, per se, until we began creating this world."

"What in the world are you doing to Link?" Midna yelped. Farore had begun cutting into his immobilized hand with a scalpel and peeling back the skin. Blood dripped between his fingers onto white towels Farore had placed on the hand rest.

"Keep stroking his ears, please," Farore commanded. "You don't feel anything; do you, my dear boy?"

"Nothing at all," Link replied.

"We'll give him something for the blood loss when this is over… now where is it… come on, ya little bugger…"

"You really don't seem terribly divine, if you don't mind my saying so," Midna said sardonically. "I don't get the feeling that you're going to smite me."

"Oh, I won't," Farore said, not looking up from her work, "I'm too nice, but I wouldn't challenge Din to a fist fight if I were you. She's quite tough and brutal when she wants to be. Actually, we are scientists, or we began that way. Nayru's a physicist – astrophysics, theoretical physics, you name it. That woman has the numbers of the universe running through her head. Din is an expert engineer with a specialty in terraforming. As for me… I am a biologist – zoologist, botanist…physician, a geneticist by specialty, but… that entire domain. When you're the successful product of an experiment in human physical immortality, you have time to study just about everything."

"So, you three were human once?"

"Yep, back home. The honest truth is that we don't like being worshipped. We like to help our little world, but on the place where we come from, we were once very average people – if highly skilled and well-educated - before we became the subjects of the project that made us what we are. It is why we don't meddle in your affairs much, I suppose. The aether takes care of you quite well."

"The aether?" Link asked.

Farore had peeled back the skin on the back of his hand enough to reveal a small golden triangle nestled against his muscles and bones. It appeared to be flat, like sheet of gold leaf or thin gold-colored tin inexplicably there. Growing into it was a multitude of tiny blood vessels and nerves. Farore scraped at it gently with a small pick-like instrument.

"The aether," Farore repeated, "Magic…the life-force of the universe, the Fourth Force…God-essence… there's no truly accurate way to describe it. We tapped into it accidentally when we began terraforming this small planet – er… creating the world. We've become subject to it, ourselves, and it allows us knowledge and powers we did not have before. It has contributed greatly to the evolution of every type of creature on this planet. Despite our vast knowledge, there are things that even we "Goddesses" cannot explain. This world operates upon a combination of the explainable and the un-explainable."

"Everything can be explained if you search hard enough, I'm sure," Midna said.

"Hmm." Farore said, continuing her meticulous work. "An excellent example of this principle is the Master Sword. It is made with a metal that can repel certain energies and is attractive to others – almost like a magnet, but not quite. That is the scientific, explainable nature of the Master Sword. What is less explainable is the fact that it has a soul in it."

"Huh?" Link grunted. "Feels like an old friend."

"It is a living blade," Din said as she stepped into the room. "And it considers you and you alone to be its partner. It lends its power to you by choice. That is why you must respect your sword, for it respects you."

Nayru and Navi came in behind Din. Navi immediately flitted over to Farore and spun around her head. "What in the world are you doing to Link?"

"It's okay, Navi," Link assured. "She's trying to help me."

"This is another example of the combination of the explainable and the un-explainable," Farore said, "The Triforce. You can see how Link's Triforce of Courage here is a part of his body." She motioned to various nerves and blood vessels with the tip of her pick. "There are places where it connects right to his brain. Each portion of the Triforce has its own attributes. The physical side of it serves him as a stamina-booster. It keeps his adrenaline up in times of stress… you know the famed 'fight or flight' instinctual response? This little baby triggers the "fight" in him most of the time. Where most peoples' first impulse may be to flee, his first impulse is to take something head-on and fight through it. It also increases the amount of endorphins – the body's natural painkillers – in his system, so when he first gets hurt, he might not even feel it right away."

"Whoa," Navi said simply. "But, wait a minute… he didn't always have it inside him like that. When I knew him in another lifetime, he was one brave little kid without all that adrenaline and endorphin enhancing stuff."

"Well," Farore said, "I never said that Link wasn't brave on his own. The portion of the Triforce he has just… helps him along in fights. The Triforce of Wisdom has the quality of increasing nerve connections in the brain – for quick thinking. It turns the one it connects to into a genius. We're actually surprised that it doesn't cause insanity. The Triforce of Power has the stamina-increasing effect that the Triforce of Courage does, but it also promotes muscle-growth. Each part has its own effects on the host body. It is also an experiment of ours, the one and only time we three ever tried to control the aether."

Link's ears perked. Midna suddenly stopped stroking them. Navi bobbed and hovered in place. Instead of answering, Farore went back to her work.

"Hey, be careful there," Din cautioned, "You don't want him to have a seizure or start drooling or something.

Link grit his teeth and twitched involuntarily.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Farore said, immediately stopping what she was doing. "Hit the wrong nerve there. Sorry, Link. Are you alright?"

Link took in a sharp breath and nodded an affirmative. Midna went back to stroking his ears, causing him to relax. "Thank you," he told the Twili.

"So you tried to control the aether with the Triforce?" Midna asked. "…. The banishment of my people…" she muttered.

"Yes," Nayru explained, "The Triforce is a combination of elements – that which is close to the corporeal and that which is not. We were trying to understand…"

"So were we," Midna sighed, "So were we and we were sent to another plane."

"Couldn't be helped," Din said flippantly, "Your ancestors did not have our knowledge and were doing things that could have disrupted the very fabric of existence. The rest of the population was suffering. We had no choice but to open the gate and send your tribe there. The only alternative was extermination and Farore would not go forward with that."

Farore looked up and smiled. "The evolution of the Twili has fascinated me ever since it began. Your people are very adaptable."

Navi bobbed. "So the…Triforce was an experiment?"

"It started out that way, yes," Nayru said. "It took on a life of its own. Essences from each of us reside with it as well as those attributes that the mortals have ascribed to us. Wisdom makes sense for me, but how little Farore became associated with courage we're still trying to figure out."

"Hey!" Farore retorted, "I created all the basic life forms of this planet and life is a very brave thing."

"One of the true mysteries of the Triforce, however," Nayru continued, "Is that it's become something of a soul-catch."

"A soul-catch?" Link asked.

"Yes, honey," Farore said as she gingerly stitched up his hand. "It is why you and Zelda don't ever go the way of spirits. You keep on being reborn. It is why Ganondorf cannot truly die and can only be sealed away. You are each connected to the Triforce and thus to the aether, as well. It chose your souls for the qualities you already possessed. Ganondorf goes to another dimensional 'plane' when he 'dies.' You and Zelda come to us, where we keep you in a form of spiritual stasis until the world needs your qualities again. Your connections to the Triforce are particularly strong this time around, even as the essential base energies of Wisdom and Courage are fading."

"I don't feel faded," Link said.

"I had to give you a tune-up. You'll start feeling even stronger now. Any magical spells or essences you've gained will only flow better for you now. However, it's not completely tuned… in balance. Our wisdom experiment is fading even faster. We're afraid that it will fade away… and take its chosen soul with it."

Link jerked up in his chair, his arm still deadened. "Zelda?"

"Sssh… sit down, sit down," Farore coaxed. "If the aether can be brought into balance, there's hope – just as there's hope for the unbalanced world. We think the aether desires a connection to a mortal heart in a way greater than just the general magic of this world. It wants to channel its full strength though a righteous soul." She pointed to his chest. "Yours."

"Or Zelda's," Nayru corrected.

"Oh, I think he's going to be the one to win." Farore contended.

Link sat passively as Farore undid the belts on his arm. She smeared a clear jelly onto his hand and wrapped it up. "Midna, would you help me get him to that bunk over there?" she asked.

Midna nodded and complied. They led Link to a bed in the hollow of one of the walls and laid him down in it, propping up his head with a soft pillow. "He should rest here," the Goddess said. "Feeling will come back to his arm and his hand shouldn't take more than a few hours to heal with the stuff I put on it. Open your mouth, Link."

"Do I get a cookie?" the young man joked.

Farore held up a small round tablet. "Even better. This will replenish your lost blood. Gotta put it under your tongue."

"Okay."

"You do certainly know very much," Midna admitted. "That's a godlike quality."

"We know all that occurs on this planet and within its various realms," Nayru said, standing by. "Or at least the major stuff. We track the Royal and Heroic genetic lines. We watch the wars. We assist the patron 'deities' of the various races and hand instructions down to them. We may not hear every prayer, but we can feel when people are tapping into the magic that we are connected to. We do not like to interfere directly, but we do care about our creation. We continue to create as we feel the need. Din's got seismic disruptors running all through this planet, for example. She's rearranging the landscape all the time. I'm always drafting new plans and ideas for governments and languages to pass on covertly to the various nations. Farore creates some new, useful forms of life on occasion, or improves upon some of the breeds that already exist. Though we did not start out as gods, we remain the Golden Goddesses, unseen, indirect, but always watching."

"So, what about when you flooded the world?" Midna said in a particularly gutsy way. "I may have been in the Twilight Realm at the time, but I heard about that."

Nayru's eyes shifted to Din. Both women's faces took on very guilty looks. "It was a terraforming experiment I did with Din that went wrong," Nayru said quickly.

Farore sighed as she tended to Link to make him comfortable. "There was also the matter of losing the Hero's soul for a while. You drifted for a bit, and at the point by which we could recapture you, you were fading. We'd learned you'd spent some time as a forlorn ghost after the Great Plague period, and that wore on your heroic essence. I couldn't risk releasing you for another incarnation to fight Ganondorf with the state your spirit was in. I had to keep you for a while. Eventually, we released you into a body conceived outside of your normal bloodline because we'd lost the old bloodline."

"Who is that?" Link asked, his gaze upon a picture on the wall opposite the bed. It was a sepia toned photograph of a beautiful young man with dark hair and long ears – a perfect Hylian.

Farore smiled sweetly. "That's the first of your race, Link," she said. "That's my dear Hylia."

"Hylia?"

"The first Hylian," Farore answered. "He was actually something of a mistake… the result of my…playfulness. When we came to this world, our mission was to re-create our own people – not immortal like us, of course, but our own race. We needed to find a world that was reasonably like our home and to make it even more livable. Din set to work with her various tools for terraforming. Nayru assisted her, dealing with the finding, rerouting and the generation of water. I was in charge of the genetic materials… to re-create the plants and animals of our home world and to eventually tap into the human materials we brought with us. This was all much more feasible, at the time, than just flying a sufficient number of people from our world here you see. Our home is very distant among the sea of stars."

"Did you get lonely?"

"Of course, but we had our work. You can also say that the experiments done upon us to give us our immortality killed….certain natural drives and eliminated certain needs. So, we were lonely in some ways but not in others. We did used to have a small crew with us, long ago… not immortal like us, so we kept them in stasis in freezing chambers for the long trip through the stars."

"Like the Zora!" Link exclaimed.

Farore nodded and smiled. "One of my first advanced creations were the Oocca. For many complex vertebrate animals and especially for humans, I needed to incubate the stuff in life in enclosed, artificial wombs: in short, birds' eggs. I didn't want to work with chickens…er... I mean cuckoos… you call them cuckoos…eating their own eggs or doing any of the other stuff they sometimes do, so I had to create creatures with a degree of intelligence and parental instinct – to keep the precious eggs safe, you know. The Oocca produced 'blank' eggs into which I could inject certain base materials and do other things far too complex to get into for the sake of brevity. The mother hens would keep the eggs warm and safe until such life was ready to be transferred into one of our larger artificial wombs…tanks. I allowed the Oocca to reproduce their own people after that, though you might find it hard to distinguish between their roosters and hens."

Midna was fascinated. Link was confused, but relaxed, as Midna went back to comforting him. Navi listened, as well, from her comfortable spot on Link's chest.

"As for Hylia," Farore continued, "Originally, I was going to produce only pure humans, as our mission mandated. I decided to play a little with the genetic materials of one egg… only a little. I've always found long ears on animals aesthetically pleasing… horses, deer…rabbits. I didn't mix any animal components into the human base, though; no… it doesn't take much to tweak the formation of a body part here and there. I'd also worried a bit about some of the natural elements of this planet at the time and wanted to see if I could produce a person better suited for it than a normal human. The long eared male was born along with a small group of standard human children. I named him Hylia on a whim – there was no significance to the name back then, it just sounded nice to me.

Nayru and Din scolded me terribly over him and demanded that I chemically castrate him when he came of age. They reminded me that our mission was to re-create the human race, not to improve upon or tweak it. They did not want Hylia reproducing. The plan would have gone underway except for the fact that Hylia, as he grew, was a very robust little boy. He hardly ever got sick. Many of our first children died because their bodies could not handle some of the native viruses and energies of the planet. Upon seeing how well he adapted, we held off on turning poor Hylia into a eunuch and we allowed him to take one of our surviving human girls as a mate. She was happy, too, for she loved him very much.

"He had very many children, some with short ears but most of them with the pointed ears and his ability to adapt to magic. He ultimately became the father of the entire Hylian race. He died very happy… at one-hundred-and-three and his soul went the way of spirits. He's buried in a special chamber on this ship. I find his remains useful for study to this day."

"Do you think he would have been proud of me…and Zelda?" Link asked.

"Very much so," Farore answered. "After that, I was allowed by my comrades to create other races suited to weathering various parts of this world. The Gerudo were quite easy, though the sex chromosome glitch they suffer is unfortunate. The combination of fish and human bloods to create the Zora was an odd creative experience. Creating Deku beings by combining plant and animal elements was even trickier. Gorons, by far, were the most difficult race to create – they entailed combining the organic with the inorganic! To this day I don't know how I pulled it off! Twili I cannot claim…" she turned to Midna, "What made you what you are today is the nature of your Realm."

The Goddess stroked Link's cheek. "My favorite race by far," she said, "Are you Hylians. You're the closest to regular humans… a race I cannot claim to have created, the race I once was. As far as my creations go… the Hylians. You may be the most simple, body-wise… you are not suited to any specific environment… you are not especially sleek or swift, like the Zora, nor are you strong, like the Gorons. You do not fly like the Rito or the Watarara… Your bodies are quite fragile and you struggle much. That is precisely why I like you. Nayru may have teased me earlier on the courage thing, but the fact is that I do have a great affinity with courage. Hylians are not a strong race – that forces you to be a brave race."

Midna had stopped stroking his ear tips. "He's asleep," she said.

"I hope I did not bore him," Farore replied.

"I'm sure that you did not," the Twili Queen replied. "It's just a lot to take in."

* * *

Link spent some time exploring the Goddess' abode. He saw cold-stasis chambers ready to be put into use should the need arise. He saw what they called "mother fairies" – beautiful women trapped within tanks of bubbling fluids, the genetic precursors to all faeriekin in Hyrule and beyond. Most of them were asleep, but one of the women smiled at him very sweetly. Farore assured him that they felt no discomfort in their unusual existence and that it was the only way they were able to survive. Also, according to her, they were very old. Link found notes written in a language he'd never seen before – they had drawings. One set of notes had drawings of Oocca and their eggs upon it. Another set depicted a tree with cocoons growing upon its branches, and, in the margins, diagrams of cocoons with fetuses inside.

He spoke with each one of the Goddesses regarding magic and what technologies they were willing to explain to him. They explained that the sacred crystals he had gathered inside him – and the one that he lacked – did carry a small essence of each of them, as taken from them by the aether. They were powers lesser than those of the Triforce, but still quite important.

"Even we may fade someday," Nayru said with a cough. She gave Link an art lesson. She sat him down at a desk with a sheet of paper, a soft brush and a well of ink. She instructed him to draw a tree with many thin branches, close to the side of the sheet of paper. Midna watched the lesson.

"There are things that artists know," the Goddess said, "You obviously have had some art instruction in this lifetime, or at least a good amount of practice. That's quite lovely."

"Thank you!" Link said, flattered by the praise.

"Notice a few things about the image, if you will. Notice the shadow and the light. They do not exist without each other. Shade and direction of light… those are things that artists know."

Midna smiled beatifically. Nayru continued.

"Also notice the importance of the negative space," she said. "The image is the positive space, and what people most often focus on. It takes a little training of one's mind to really notice the negative space - the area outside of and between the branches. Much like how light cannot be rendered in a drawing except by the shadows; the positive space cannot exist without the negative space. They define one another."

"Hmm," Link said with a nod.

"It is the same with the Triforce. It is defined by that which appears to be missing. There never was any 'fourth piece,' as some of you mortals have claimed. There never needed to be. That which is missing has always been there, within it and surrounding it. That is the aether, boy."

"And my role in all this is?"

"To maintain the balance," Nayru said. "It is what you were always destined to do."

Din stepped into the open door of Nayru's quarters. "Tell him the truth," she said. "With as many lifetimes and hardships as he's been through, he deserves to know. After all, he's seen this whole place and his brain hasn't exploded yet."

Farore had come in behind her, Navi flitting around her head. "Din," she said pleadingly, "We should not be cruel to him."

"Haven't we been already," the much taller woman replied. "Go on, Farore; tell your boy that he's a part of a bet."

"A bet?" Link asked, his ears perking up. "What do you mean? Farore, is it true?"

Farore nodded sadly. "After the initial creation work was finished, Din, Nayru and I… we got a little bored. We wondered which base attribute of the Triforce was the strongest. When your soul, Zelda's soul and Ganondorf's soul got caught up in it we…um….we decided to watch. We place a bet upon which one of you is going to 'win' each go-round, though even Din doesn't like that Ganondorf got her essence. He does not treat it correctly and has gotten out of control more than once. We are careful to capture and keep your soul and Zelda's for the next round precisely because of Power's unstable nature… also, there's been small victories for each of us, but there's been no ultimate end to the bet."

Link just stared at her, mouth agape.

"Power has won out before… We usually declare Wisdom the winner because, though you are the one to save the kingdom and spare the population of Hyrule or whatever other kingdom you're in a terrible fate, Zelda has always outlived you." Farore shook her head, "You've saved the world many times but have yet to ultimately win."

"I am a game to you?" Link said slowly, rising from his seat. "Our lives are nothing but entertainment to you."

"Link, my child, please…" Farore pleaded.

Link pushed past her and brushed past Midna.

"I'll go after him," Midna sighed. Navi followed her. They wandered outside the ship. Midna wove her way between the statues in the silent garden by its entrance. She looked up at the white marble statue of the swordsman and shook her head sharply, blinking back a few tears.

She found Link standing upon a precipice, looking out upon open desert far below. She cursed and started running to him, fearing that he was about to do something stupid, like jump to his death. Midna knew what cognitive dissonance did to some people. Finding out one's gods aren't all-powerful and all loving could be enough to send even him to suicidal thoughts. He might have been thinking of getting rid of the knowledge, of 'resetting' himself.

"Link! Wait!" she shouted.

He turned and looked at her and then quick as a wink, he was a sleek, golden-furred coyote.

"What?" Midna groused to herself as she felt the area around her neck. The cord she kept the shadow crystal – or what Farore had taken to calling a 'cellular shifter' – on was gone. "That little sneak…"

Link gave a little half-howl and leapt over the edge. Navi rocketed after him. Midna followed to the precipice only to see Link running and leaping over steep rocks at a pace too quick for her to keep up with. After a while of running down the slope through bushes and rocks, he disappeared from view.

Navi came back up to where Midna was a few minutes later, breathless. "I lost him!" she cried. "I don't know where he's going or what's running through his mind!"

"Idiot!" Midna hissed. "We have to find a way down the mountain if we have any hope of catching up to him."

The Goddesses came out to meet her. Midna glared at each of them, in turn. "Do you see what you've done to him?"

Nayru nodded. "We wondered if he'd be better off not knowing."

"You think?" Midna retorted.

"We will get you down the mountain safely," Din said. "The rest of what happens is up to you… and to him."

"I hope he wins this time," Farore whispered, bowing her head low.

* * *

Link raced across the desert. He knew that he was playing right into the game but he also did not care. Everything was the same as it had always been throughout history, but he knew that he was helpless to defy it. To defy it would mean that the land would die and that everyone he loved would suffer. Those that had made sacrifices to see a better world – those that had made sacrifices for him… he could not let what they'd done and what they'd lost go to waste. The face of his uncle flashed through his mind, as well as the faces of Saria and all the Kokiri, both young and old. Malon. Everyone at the ranch. Adelaide and the people of Old Kakariko. Shadow Felix. Medli. The Zora in their frozen sleep. Givanna and her little girl.

And Zelda. Zelda. He could not let her be found and executed – or worse, fade away if what the "Goddesses" had said about the Triforce of Wisdom was true. Zelda… he could not let her down. She was more than a friend to him – he was hopelessly in love. So, he was headed to Castle Town and to the palace. He wanted to end this go-round as soon as possible. He still had the remaining spring spirits to help and he had been warned about his lack of strength at this point. He didn't care. He was going to put an end to the reign of Cecelia and Ganondorf quickly, even if he died doing it.

As he ran across the open desert, he remembered that Midna had been the only person to control his transformation. While he knew that touching the shadow crystal to him was the way to turn him into a golden beast, he had never been clear upon just what she did to turn him back into a human – whether it was taking the crystal out or loosing the Master Sword from its scabbard in mystical storage to touch him. He had run off without thinking, sure that she would try to stop him if she knew where he was headed. He decided he'd figure it out on his own. It couldn't be too difficult a thing to do.

* * *

Link wandered the desert for several days. His feet were swift but he was small. He'd remembered meeting visitors to the ranch who had the false notion that coyotes were large creatures, the size of good shepherding dogs. He'd corrected such people by telling them that they were thinking of wolves. Most coyotes were not very much larger than foxes.

He had gotten himself lost somehow. He had not eaten anything more than a few desert grasshoppers he'd found along the way and he had not slept. He was determined to get to the palace and did not want to waste his time sleeping. His feet were sore and the pads bled from the sharp rocks he'd been dashing over and a patch of cacti he'd recklessly run right over. It was midday and the sun was bright and hot when he'd seen the cat. Link staggered and shook his weary head. His throat hurt. He hadn't bothered to sniff around for water for a while, either.

Normally, Link would never harm an innocent cat. He liked cats a great deal. However, a coyote's instinct was toward the eating of animals smaller than itself and domestic cats were among any given coyote's favorite prey items. Link's stomach growled as he saw the black cat duck behind a group of tawny rocks. It hissed and growled as he came near. He was ready to run after it upon his weary legs and was surprised when it did not flee. He thought that it perhaps was injured and could not move. He'd snap its neck quickly to end its misery.

As he got near to the feline, he could see just how skinny it was. It looked worse than he felt. Link wondered briefly if he should eat it or even touch it, for it could give him some nasty disease. He ventured his long snout toward the cat and sniffed it. It glared at him with big yellow eyes and bravely extended its claws and swatted his nose. Suddenly, Link found himself within his human body. He also found himself within the gray chamber of what appeared to be some sort of dungeon or palace.

"Alright," He sighed, looking around the gigantic room, "I guess I know the drill by now. You're one of my predecessors and you have some sort of lesson for me. I take it you're the Black Cat the Wolf talked about."

Link heard clapping echo off the walls, but did not see its source. "Bravo," a voice said

Link then noticed the floor and picked up his boots with a surprised and disgusted yelp. There was a dark substance everywhere and he was pretty sure that it was blood. He took in a sharp breath when he finally found the source of the clapping. A tall, gaunt young man stepped out of the shadows toward him. There were features to him that were not surprising. The man wore green – a tunic in an old style similar to what Link had seen worn by the Hero of Nature, with some chain mail similar to that worn by the Hero of Twilight beneath it. He had a brown undershirt with long sleeves. The man's facial structure was similar to what Link saw in the mirror, though the man's skin was pale and his eyes mildly sunken.

The man's hair was shoulder-length, lanky and as black as coal. His ears were long and looked as sharp as blades against the black hair. He wore a long, floppy cap. Link wondered, briefly, if he'd worn that same darn hat in every lifetime but his current one – to his modern sensibilities, it looked terribly silly. The man's clothes sagged upon his sickly frame. The most striking feature about this erstwhile Hero, by far, was the gaping wound in his chest. Link shivered and stepped back from the man. Beneath the torn tunic and mail, amid the deep, horrible red of blood and sheared flesh, he could see the light color of the man's split sternum.

"Am I so ugly you have no words left?" the man said mockingly. "Come now, don't be afraid. This is only a vision."

"What…what happened to you?" Link asked, calming down.

"The same thing that will happen to you if you don't act more wisely," the walking dead man said. "I am the Link in the chain that the legends forget. I am the Lost One."

"You…" Link began, "You died before your time."

"That is correct."

"Aren't you supposed to appear to me the way you were when you were alive? I mean, you are my memory and all."

"The spirit you carry is a resilient one," the Lost One said, "sometimes it lingers just enough to know things it really shouldn't. I was so in shock upon being killed that I had to float around and watch as Ganondorf ripped my heart out and devoured it. I even watched as the pair of Darknuts he summoned took me out to the Castle Town square to the slab where I was laid out as an example to the people. Poor Kasuto… at least she mourned me well – hanging around the slab, moaning little cat-cries. I never knew what happened to her… poor Sage, robbed of her powers and cursed into that black cat form. I failed to break her curse. I failed everyone. In fact, I'm surprised that I'm talking to you – that our essential essence even continued."

Link felt sick. "Why are you telling me all this?"

The Lost One clutched a hand delicately to his torn chest. "I don't want you to fail like me. Your era cannot afford it."

"I'm not. I was on my way before I was interrupted by this."

"YOU WERE ON YOUR WAY TO YOUR DEATH!"

Link stood shock still. The Lost One was glaring at him. He had quite a powerful stare.

"You aren't the manifestation of my dark side, are you?"

"No," the Lost One said very seriously. "Just because I have dark hair does not mean that I'm the Hero's Shadow. We have to conquer ourselves in every lifetime. Sometimes, the spiritual forces of this world give shape to that which we must conquer. Sometimes, it is more subtle. You and I are similar. What we were given to conquer is unseen – our own pride. I succumbed to mine."

"You are just a ray of sunshine, aren't you?"

"My wife thought so, as well as my twin boys."

"But you look to be my age."

"In my era, people married young. Perhaps that was my problem – I had too much to protect. My emotional attachments were too strong. It made me fight very hard, but I did not take care of myself. You are not taking care of yourself."

Link sighed and shrugged. "I really don't care what happens to me anymore. I've always cared more about keeping others safe, but now… now that I know I'm just a game of the Goddesses, I suppose I don't care at all."

"You are a stubborn fool, then, like me. Listen. Even when your heart is not in it, you have to take care of yourself. If you keep on running without eating, without sleeping and without tending to your wounds, you're just going to exhaust yourself. Get enough rest. Eat well. Take care of your health. Let those who care about you take care of you, too. You may be the Hero, but you cannot do it all alone and you cannot do it all right away. Do you want to know the reason why I failed?"

"Ganondorf killed you, right?" Link said.

"Yes," the Lost One replied, "but he wouldn't have had I been taking proper care of myself. I wasn't. I was so eager to end the nightmare and the threat that I ran myself into exhaustion. I was starving and burnt down with fever when I entered Ganondorf's chamber to challenge him. Sure, I managed to dodge a few times and I got a few licks in, but I was slow on my feet and couldn't concentrate on my sword in front of me. The next thing I knew, I was being ran through. I can't say I know much of what happened afterward, besides what was done with my corpse, but I do know that Ganondorf killed Zelda very swiftly thereafter – only a six year old girl at the time, too. If you're lucky enough to pick up a history book that tells a little bit of my story, you'll see that Hyrule and surrounding nations were plunged into darkness and tyranny for a good century. The world lived in fear. All of this just because my stubborn self wouldn't stop for a day or two to get a little sleep and nurse my infected wounds!"

"I'm…sorry."

"Don't be sorry, kid. Just take care of yourself."

* * *

The next thing Link knew, he was back in the searing sunlight of the desert and back in fur. He felt water being poured into his mouth, past his sharp little coyote-teeth. He felt hands brace themselves under him. He wondered how this person knew him in this form…

Sheik sighed deeply. "You are an idiot, you know that, don't you?" she gently scolded, "but I guess you're my idiot."

* * *

End Chapter 12.

Turn to the Next.


	13. Overthrow Cecelia!

**THE GREAT DESERT**

**Chapter 13: Overthrow Cecelia! **

"Make sure he rests."

Link blinked his eyes open to see stars over the desert. He was laying down on his bedroll. He could hear the crackling and feel the warmth of a fire nearby. By the scent of the smoke from it, he guessed it was being fed, at least partially, with mesquite wood. He looked down at is right hand – it was a hand. He was back in his native form. It, along with his left hand, was bandaged. He dimly registered the feel of bandaging upon his feet, too. He heard Rhiannon whicker nearby. It was amazing that she hadn't run off into the desert while he'd spent all that time in the Abode of the Goddesses. If she had, Midna was apparently good at recapturing horses. Perhaps it was simply that Rhiannon had always been a loyal horse who could find him wherever he went. He was her "father," after all.

"Oh, we definitely will, Miss Sheik!" Navi's voice this time, it was answering the voice he'd heard before.

"He's as reckless as ever – in any lifetime," Midna's voice groused.

Link stirred, trying to get up. He wasn't as thirsty as he was before, but his stomach growled and he felt groggy and distant. Immediately, a large orange mass came over him and he felt himself being pushed down. Midna glowered down at him, her hair free and formed into a hand that was firmly planted upon his chest.

"Cecelia…" Link groaned.

"No," Midna said, "Not yet, Mr. Important Hero. You gave us a scare again."

Suddenly, Sheik was over him, brushing his hair back and wiping his forehead with a damp cloth. "You ran yourself into exhaustion," she said. "Very foolish, no matter how eager you are to defeat evil."

Midna let her hair-hand up and offered him a bowl of some unidentifiable food. "Here, eat," she commanded. Link sat up and did so. It was some kind of stew, though he could not identify the meat he was chewing. It was very gamey, but he was so hungry he did not care. Link knew that stew was not the best of travel-food unless it came from a tin because it was time-consuming to make - for his companions to have the time to make this meant that he must have been out of it for a long time.

"What is this?" he asked, "I know the vegetables, but what kind of meat is this?"

"Rabbit," Midna said simply, "or maybe hare. Sheik caught it and dealt with it. She told us that you could use the protein."

Sheik touched him on the shoulder. "You eat and rest," she ordered. "I won't always be around to bail you out when you do something stupid. When you are done with your other duties, meet me in Castle Town. I will be waiting there."

With that, she vanished in a swirl of smoke, leaving Link to stare as he finished his stew.

* * *

Link awoke in depths of the night. The campfire had burned down to ashes and embers. Midna was asleep nearby and he could see Navi flitting around in the night, guarding the perimeter of the campsite. No doubt, she was watching for monsters. He sat up and put his hat on. He thought that maybe he'd like to walk about and stretch his legs, as he was feeling quite a bit better. His feet were sore, but he didn't think they'd give him too much trouble. He wasn't going to leave again. He was going to take his friends' concern for him – and the advice he'd received from his last vision – seriously.

He did not rise to his feet and just stayed sitting up, noting the little line of fire over the hills on the horizon. Dawn would come soon, so he might as well relax and wait for everyone to be up and ready to go.

Movement caught his eye. He went for his gun only to realize that it had been taken off his hip to make him comfortable. His holster was resting in the sand beside him, along with his sword and shield. Navi had apparently not seen the creature. Link narrowed his eyes and got a better look. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was not a monster, just a lanky jackrabbit. It moved from outside the camp toward him. It struck him as very strange, as jackrabbits were timid creatures. It came close to him and regarded him with its large eyes. It craned itself up tall, its forelegs held close to its chest – in this position; it appeared to be as large as a medium-sized dog. Its ears were broad and long. Its whiskers were twitchy. Perhaps it was a trick of the early morning light, but the animal's fur glistened and appeared to take upon a pinkish cast.

Link shifted his body, sitting up just a little bit more to watch the jackrabbit. He wondered if it was of the same kind that he'd eaten earlier. There were a few different kinds of rabbit-kin roaming the various parts of the desert in Hyrule. There were the small, soft cottontails that were very common, the domestic creatures that people raised for meat and as pets – then there were a few varieties of jackrabbits, and though "rabbit" was part of their name, they were technically hares.

"You're just magnificent, aren't you?" Link whispered. More light appeared on the horizon and the creature's fur became pinker. Link shook his head as he saw a green, belted tunic appear upon the hare's body and a floppy cap appear upon his head, its tail resting between its ears.

"Oh, no, no, no," Link protested. "I just had a vision. Don't you guys get some kind of downtime? A waiting period?"

The jackrabbit craned its neck toward him and preened its whiskers. "Don't tell me that you're afraid of a little pink bunny?" it said. It wriggled its head beneath Link's hand and let him pet it. Link suddenly found himself standing in the shade of an apple orchard. He could see ripe fruit dangling from the branches of all the trees. The nip of early autumn was in the air. Link had lived all his life in a desert, but he still knew what an autumn-winter nip was.

He was startled when, suddenly, a young man vaulted down from one of the branches to land right in front of him. The boy's appearance was not surprising. He was a teenager with strawberry-blond hair wearing a green tunic and the floppy hat that seemed to be traditional for Link's ancestors and former incarnations. It still looked silly to him, but he was really getting to feel like the odd-man out for wearing something wide-brimmed and shady. There was one thing that Link noticed about the youth, however, that he could not ignore.

"You aren't wearing pants."

The boy gave him a sour look. "So what?" he said.

"Don't your legs get cold?"

"Nope! I find it more comfortable, I like the freedom. I _am_ wearing under-britches. I'm not _that_ free."

"So, where are we? This is so different than anything I've seen so far, except maybe the Hero of Time's forest."

"We are in my uncle's apple orchard," the boy said. "I was supposed to inherit it, but… you know how adventures and fate go."

Link nodded. "Yes. I would have taken over my uncle's ranch had the Goddesses' game not caught up with me."

"It's what happens," Link's predecessor said, jumping up into the branches of the tree he'd just come down from to grab and apple and come back down. He handed the fruit to Link. "Try it. Sweetest apples in all of Hyrule."

Link bit into it, letting juice run down his chin. "That _is_ good."

"You do know it is merely an illusion."

"As are you. You're me now."

"That's right. Sometimes it is difficult to tell between illusion and reality. I had no formal title, 'Sir,' perhaps, as I was a Royal Hylian Knight for a while, before I left on my sea journey. I suppose you could call me the Hero of Dreams."

"Hero of Dreams?"

"I will teach you a trick with your mystic energy that will allow you to see past the enemy's trickery. It will be stronger when you are in your animal form, but if you concentrate very well, you can make it work for you anytime."

"You had an animal form in your lifetime - beyond what I saw? I thought it was just symbolic."

"Yes," the Hero of Dreams answered. "The Hero of Twilight – he really did transform into a wolf in his lifetime – you've long known this. Your friend has enabled you to become a coyote… We don't always have actual beast-forms, but I am one of those that did, although mine was in no way voluntary."

"You became a rabbit?"

"It was embarrassing! In my lifetime, Hyrule was split into the normal world and into the Dark World – a nightmare landscape that Ganon was trying to pull all of Hyrule into…"

"Ganon? You mean Ganondorf?"

"Yes. He has a beast-form, himself and usually calls himself Ganon when in that form. Everyone in the Dark World became beasts of one kind or another, whether monsters or mere animals – reflecting things buried deep within their hearts. I was pulled into the Dark World briefly before I acquired a sacred treasure that allowed me to stay myself. I became a rabbit – I don't know whether the Goddesses were just having a laugh at my expense or if the form truly reflected me. I guess I was kind, free and wild." At this, the Hero of Dreams shrugged.

"It was pretty refreshing to be a wolf in a different lifetime, actually, in hindsight." He laughed.

"Is that why you call yourself the Hero of Dreams?" Link asked, "Because you saved Hyrule from a nightmare world?"

"That and…something else," the boy replied. He immediately looked to the earth, his expression filled with shame and sorrow. "I feared that Ganon could return, so I left on a journey over the sea to visit other lands and to learn new combat techniques and the wisdom of other cultures. I was shipwrecked on this charming little island that needed a Hero. As it turns out, I destroyed that island…and the people that lived there."

"What? How?" Link gasped, "If you were a Hero, then…why?"

"Illusion," the Hero of Dreams replied. "There was a dreaming creature that I had to awaken and set free. I awakened after that, in the ocean, dying from exposure on a piece of flotsam. I hit land eventually. I went to my grave not knowing whether it was all somehow real or just an illusion. Perhaps all of existence is just an illusion."

"I'm sorry," Link said, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "This isn't anything I've been able to remember, so I haven't been able to find the answer."

"It's okay," the Hero of Dreams said with a smile. "Now let me teach you that trick I told you about."

* * *

The western streets of Castle Town were grimy. They were not merely dusty, they were _grimy_. They were filled with ramshackle vendor's stalls and roving gangs of young and old men that wore their guns proudly. The prices on ordinary goods were exorbitant and many people walked about dressed in ragged and faded clothing. There were many more bars here than Link had expected. Some men and women hung about the alleys smoking long pipes filled with a clearly intoxicating substance. There were political signs and posters everywhere, all one-sided – in praise of the new King and Queen. There were wanted posters of Link and a few of Zelda: No longer was she the precious youngest princess to be returned to the keeping of the Royal Family – she was a dead or alive bounty, too, wanted, supposedly, for high treason against her sister.

Link supposed that Zelda's position was true. He strode through the streets quite blatantly. Of course, he was doing so upon four paws with a leash around his neck. Midna, dressed in a heavy cloak, walked him and did her best impression of a dignitary on business who had decided to bring along her pet. She carried herself perfectly – after all, she'd had several centuries of practice in being a queen. Navi stayed under her cloak, nestled unhappily in her hair.

"It's so sweaty! And orange!" the fairy complained, "How come your hair isn't soft like Link's?"

"Keep it down, bug!" Midna hissed. "I ought to cork you in a bottle and shake it."

They, of course, had left Link's horse outside the town gates. Rhiannon had been taken by a Gerudo groom. She recognized Link at the gate, before Midna transformed him. She was one of Givanna's women and was on their side. She assured the party that the horse would be well cared for while they were in the city.

Link yipped, hoping that he got his message across, though he knew he probably didn't. "Did you _have_ to put a bow on my head?"

As if she understood him, she cooed. "Oh, isn't Mister Yappy sooo handsome with a green silk ribbon by his ear? Such a good puppy…"

Link growled. He wondered if one of the bars would be willing to serve a poor coyote a nip of whiskey. He sniffed around the area and he used his newfound mystic sight to try to find any useful clues. He picked up the distinct sweaty and flowery scent of Sheik and led his companions to a lonely, broken old cemetery outside the palace grounds, well beyond the vendors, the gangs, the bars and the opium addicts. He began digging into the earth furiously.

"What? Are you hunting for bones?" Midna quipped.

Link wriggled into the hole he'd dug, pulling his leash behind him.

Navi flitted out of Midna's cloak. "I think he wants you to follow him."

Midna crouched low beside the fresh tunnel. "I can't squeeze into a place that small."

Link thrust his head out and yipped.

"He wants you to change him," Navi said.

Midna reached down and restored his form. "It's not very safe for you out here with that face," she said to the dirt-covered young man smiling up at her.

"It's okay!" Link responded. "I found a cave down here… looks like whole cave system! I think it connects to the palace underground!" He handed Midna back her leash, having taken it off his neck. He pulled the irritating little bow out of his hair and gave that to her, too. He disappeared down the hole. A moment later, he thrust his arm out of it, holding a small wine bottle. "Haha! Looks like I found the wine cellar!" he laughed.

"Hey! Don't drink any of that!" Navi warned, "You need to keep your head clear!"

"We'll save it for the victory party."

Navi flitted down into the hole with him. Everything was difficult to see. The walls were lit in gloom from pale magical torches that burned silver flames. She squeaked as a figure leapt out of the shadows toward them. Since this was close quarters, Link drew the Master Sword.

"No, Link!" Navi shouted, "It's just Sheik."

Link breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed his sacred blade.

"Good, you have come as planned. I take it that you took care of your other tasks?"

"The remaining spring spirits?" Link asked, "Yes, I did. Finding them was the difficult part, but we found Faron and Eldin and they, along with Ordona, are now at the spring of Lanayru."

"Good. I am sure that they have imparted you their strength. The danger is much greater here than any you have ever faced. I will come with you, but that holy sword of yours is the only thing that can cleave Cecelia right now. Your bullets will be useless and I cannot help you. She is in the throne room. You will have to strike her down quickly. Now, follow me. The cellars and the dungeons are filled with traps both magical and mundane."

"Isn't Ganondorf somewhere around here?"

Link's question went unanswered. He stopped walking suddenly when Navi's flitting gently tinkled beside his right ear. "Navi?" he asked, "Could you go back to the surface, please?"

"Why, Link?" she inquired, "I'm here to look out for you."

"I trust Sheik," he said. "I sense something….divided about her, but my senses tell me that she's a true ally. I'm afraid for Midna. I'd really like it if you could go watch out for her for the time being."

"She's strong, Link" Navi said, "But okay, if it will make you happy. You just be careful, alright?"

Link nodded and watched the fairy go. He followed the mysterious shadow-woman through the corridors, past the wine cellar and past a magically-created false wall into the castle dungeon. Rusty iron-barred doors squealed on their hinges.

"There are no prisoners here," Link observed.

Sheik nodded and grunted. "I freed them earlier. They were all unjustly imprisoned. Most of them were awaiting execution."

"This hasn't been noticed?"

"Are we being noticed? Right now, the queen is rather absorbed in her own business."

"Absorbed in her own business…"

"It's my polite way of saying she's gone off the rails. She's sealed up the throne room and hasn't been out of it in two days. She is taking little notice of what transpires in Hyrule right now."

Immediately, Link pushed her, whipping his sword and shield off his back in one fluid motion. A stalfos swept his wicked, waved blade at his middle. He danced and parried. Sheik took care of a second creature, using a clawshot to rip its skull from its spinal column with a loud yet sinewy crack. Link would have asked her if hers and his were once part of a set, but there wasn't any time.

When broken bones and armor lay at their feet, Link caught his breath and asked "Are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you," Sheik replied. "It is amazing how someone born in a world of guns can become such a wonderful swordsman. You were magnificent."

"It wasn't anything, really. I hate those things. I don't think the dead like their bones being magicked into things like that."

"Who is to know that they are not souls that have returned?"

"I don't think so," Link replied. "I don't sense that from them, anyway."

"We've put the dead at peace, either way. The throne room is up ahead, right past this chasm. There's invisible platforms somewhere…"

Link narrowed his eyes and concentrated. "I see them! Follow me."

As they leapt from platform to platform over a bed of spikes – security for the dungeon, Link suspected, he asked Sheik a very important question. "How do you know so much about the castle?"

Sheik hesitated before answering. "My people were the traditional protectors of Hyrule's Royal Family," she said. Link sensed that it wasn't a full answer. They wandered through hallways that winded and took them up.

The dangers became fewer – only a few rats and cockroaches that skittered around their feet. "Ugh," Link said, shaking a few offending insects off his boots, "I never knew a grand royal palace could have such a pest problem."

"Hyrule Castle is very, very old," Sheik answered, "Any structure built by mankind that remains for long becomes a haven for undesirable creatures. Nature does its best to reclaim everything. The main floors and living quarters do not have this problem."

As they opened a cellar door and emerged in a tiny, dark room on the first floor, Sheik pressed a large, gilded key into Link's hand. "This will open one of the doors to the throne room," she said.

"What? How did you get this, Sheik?"

She pushed him forward. "I have my methods. Just go."

Link crept along a corridor and found an ornate door covered in beautiful carvings overlaid in gold. He opened the door slowly and looked inside. A tall woman was pacing back and forth before the throne. Link recognized her and grit his teeth. He crept into the room unnoticed, keeping to the shadows. He drew the Master Sword.

"Ungrateful pig!" the usurper queen growled to herself, flinging her hands. "I killed my own mother to bring him back… Got too big for his britches. I'm in charge here; I am the sovereign Queen of Hyrule! Can't even find my little sister… I'll hunt him down and take what's mine! I'll have it all! I'll have it all! I will be the Supreme Goddess of this land… they'll pay for defying me… they'll all suffer!"

Link crept upon her slowly, easing his way close to her, keeping at her back. A knot formed in his gut. She was evil. She was responsible for destroying the country. She had taken from him and she had taken from Zelda… he had watched her kill his uncle – who had been, for all purposes save biological, his father - with his own eyes…According to Mr. Bladebringer, she was behind the deaths of his parents, too… He had been waiting for this moment…

A large part of him wanted to be splattered with her blood – it told him to strike and to strike now! However, his conscience was being a pest. The other part of him told him that it was dishonorable to run someone through from behind – it is what he was thinking about doing, as Cecelia was too tall for him to decapitate. It was that cold blood again… it didn't matter who or what she was, there was that problem with killing in cold blood. It was something cowardly. As much of a monster as she was, Cecelia was still, at least in some small way, a person and a person deserved a chance to fight off their death. Link grit his teeth and swallowed. He had to strike, and he had to strike soon or…

Cecelia whipped around and glared at him. She smiled a broad, crooked smile. "Why, hello there," she said. "Tried to strike me down and lost your courage?

Link danced out of the way of a beam of ice shot from her fingers.

"Or is it a matter of too much honor?" she laughed. "That kind of honor is for the weak."

At least that problem was taken care of. She was on the attack now. Link could now tell his conscience to shove it. She was fighting her death and he had to fight his. The ice-sorceress formed long spears of ice and flung them at him at high velocity. He dodged and backflipped, remembering the Hero of Time's lessons. He slipped on a patch of ice on the floor and a small ice-dagger caught him in the right shoulder.

Cecelia laughed. "Give it up, boy!" she cackled. "Why don't you tell me where my sister is? I just might let you live. I'll have to take your left hand, of course, but life as a cripple is better than no life at all!"

"I don't believe you!" Link huffed. "You'll kill her and me both. You're a tyrant. You've taken a coward's path. You don't deserve the blessing of Courage. You are unworthy of Power and Wisdom laughs at you!"

As he dodged another volley, Link slipped on a patch of ice on the floor again. This time, he used it to his advantage, leaning into it. He slid forward, toward Cecelia and swung his sword in the spin move he'd learned from the Hero of Twilight. The Master Sword slammed into the upper portion of Cecelia's arm and sliced it clean off. It fell to the floor without a mess. Only when it had fallen did Cecelia begin to bleed. Something bright and blue pulsed beneath the sliced flesh of the severed limb.

Cecelia shrieked and the entirety of the throne room began shaking. Her hair blew out behind her as if caught up in a wind. Snow crystals formed within it. Trails of ice and frost snaked up her body. The veins on her face on the visible skin of her shoulders became very blue and pronounced. "I still have power!" she screamed desperately, "I still have enough power…. To make sure you die with me!"

The sorceress put fort her left hand. A thick ice beam shot out from it and hit Link in the stomach. He yelped in despair as he felt the cold burn of ice form all around his legs, his delicates, his middle… all the way up to his chest where it squeezed the breath from his lungs. He watched the clear-blue substance form over his face. He could see his left hand sticking out of it, gripping the bloodstained Master Sword tightly. He could feel his limbs and his skin going hard, which was a strange combination of general numbness and excruciating pain. He spared a thought for his Uncle Russell, whom he was sure he'd be seeing again momentarily.

A blurry Cecelia was flailing around, screaming and cursing in modern Hylian, ancient Hylian, and in a few languages Link had never heard before. She passed near and blood splashed upon his ice-tomb. Chunks of the palace's second floor were falling down. Link saw another blur through the ice, which he guessed might have been Sheik.

"Too late to save me this time," he thought, though he could feel his brain slowing, in time with the slowing beat of his heart, "I'm sorry."

Suddenly, a warm sensation shot through him. It began in his right arm and passed down. Link became very warm, even hot, and he saw orange flames lick about him. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor, crouched down in a puddle of cold, melted water. His skin tingled and the flames retreated. "Din's Fire?" he choked, catching his breath. "It protected me."

Sheik grabbed the collar of his shirt. "We have to get out of here!" she commanded, helping him to his feet. She cradled a grisly prize in her other arm – Cecelia's severed right arm. "This room is collapsing; she wants to trap us in it. Let's go! Move! Move! Move!"

Link began to run. "Is there anybody else in here we need to evacuate?" He asked breathlessly.

Cecelia's body contorted in a spasm as she screamed at them. "No! You will die! You will die!" she howled. She flung out her left arm, throwing ice-spears.

Sheik grabbed Link and spun him around. His eyes went wide as she gasped and choked, blood issuing from her mouth. "Sheik!" he screamed.

The woman grabbed at the red-stained shard of ice that had pierced through her back and out her middle. "Go," she said. "Just go. You're important… you have to leave this place." She pressed the cold severed arm into his arms. "Take the Crystal of Ice…find the Aether… save the world."

Instead, Link grabbed Sheik, held her close, closed his eyes and concentrated. "Kaze no Farore."

Link found himself in the middle of the desert with Sheik splayed on top of him. Both of them were bleeding – him from the shoulder and her from the middle. She was bleeding more profoundly now, since the spear of ice that had been in her had melted. Link quickly registered the scene. He could see Castle Town's towers in the distance on the eastern horizon.

"Sheik! Sheik!" He cried. Before he could grab her and press his hands to her entry and exit wounds, she stood. Her legs shook and her form appeared to flicker. Link looked on slack-jawed.

"Maybe…" she said slowly, "You'll get to outlive me this time."

She held up her right hand. Fabric fell away from it revealing a Triforce mark. One of the triangles glowed pale blue and flickered. Sheik's hair turned from blond to black and her eyes from crimson to azure. The fabric covering her face fell away.

"Ze-Zelda?"

She fell to the ground. Her clothing disappeared, replaced by Zelda's usual attire – the riding pants and riding boots and the button-up blue coat. Strangely, she was also wearing a light silver crown upon her head that looked like delicately layered leaves.

Immediately, Link went to her and pressed his hands over her bloody stomach. "Zelda," he gasped, "It was you all this time?"

"Yes," she answered, wincing with pain.

Link reached into one of his vest pockets and pulled out bandages. They expanded, responding to the spell put upon them. Without giving much thought to the fact that he was disrobing her, he unbuttoned her coat up to her bra and began winding bandages around her. Sweat poured from his forehead. He was frantic. His shoulder ached but he paid it no mind.

Zelda weakly pointed. "My…My sister's arm…. Take the crystal…"

Link turned from her and found the bloody appendage on the ground. As soon as he touched it, it shattered into thousands of tiny shards of ice. Link grunted in surprise at this. What was left behind was a small blue crystal with a cyan pulse of magic inside. Link touched it, cautiously. It vanished into his left arm. He gulped and clutched his chest as he felt something moving into his heart. A red-orange light glowed from his right arm. Blue glowed from his left. There was a green glow in the center of his chest. They vanished. "L'amour d' Nayru," he uttered and a crystal of icy blue energy appeared around both him and Zelda. He nodded and it disappeared.

"You have them all now," Zelda said weakly, smiling. "You can bring the balance back now. You're gonna make a great king."

"Great king? Zelda, no! Come on… you're strong. I can take you back to your Impa or… better yet, the fairy spring!"

"Triforce…" Zelda whispered, "The Triforce of Wisdom is fading… I drew upon its power to become Sheik for you. Spent it… Yeeitch!"

Zelda hissed in pain as Link lifted her up in his arms. "I know where I can take you. It will drain me, but…"

"Link! Go to Kakariko, to the Temple of the Goddesses. Unlock the temple."

"Even better, princess," Link said, his face close to hers. "I'm taking you to see the Goddesses themselves. I've met them. Try not to be too disappointed."

Link closed his eyes and concentrated upon the Goddesses' Abode on Apex Mountain. This was outside of the normal range of Farore's Wind, but he inwardly reached, trying to extend the magic. He could feel the wound in his shoulder growing larger and fresh blood running down his front. He grit his teeth hard and could feel a sharp, painful pop in his sinuses. Blood ran from his nose down his lip. Cool wind and the smell of leaves and pine needles enveloped him.

In less than a minute, he was standing before the open door of the ship. He saw Farore approaching him and he collapsed. "Please," he whispered, "Zelda… help her… fading…"

Din strode towards him and lifted Zelda into her strong dark arms. Farore helped Link to his feet. "Come inside, dear boy," she said. "You drained yourself, didn't you?"

"Zelda…" He said, his vision blurring. He felt himself being pulled back.

"I need to treat you," the voice of Farore droned.

"Zelda first, please…"

He heard the voice of Nayru. "She's pretty bad," the Goddess said. "We're going to have to put her into stasis. Farore, we need you."

"But Link…"

"She needs you more."

"Leave me," Link said, collapsing. "Take care of Zelda."

* * *

Link did not know how many hours or days he was in oblivion. He woke up groggy in a bed, covered with a white sheet. The first thing he saw was a big glass chamber beside him. Tubes and wires flowed in and out of it. The exterior had a fine film of frost on it.

Link got up shakily. He was wearing nothing but his undershorts and a tight bandage around his right shoulder. He was curious about the chamber. It looked just like the Zora chambers in the Steel Temple. He recalled seeing this type of chamber on the Goddesses' ship before, just not in use, as this one was, apparently. He wiped the frost off the upper part of it. He gasped.

"Zelda? Zelda!"

She looked like she was sleeping. Her face was as pale as that of a porcelain doll. There were snow flecks on her eyelashes. Her lips were blue. Link just stared at her in despair. He heard footsteps enter the room.

"You're finally awake," Farore said, "You drained your mystic energy out. You were drawing from your fragment of the Triforce. It was starting to drain your physical energies. You nearly killed yourself."

"What did you do to her?" Link asked forlornly.

"Reversible death," Farore answered.

"Death?" Link quailed.

"Well," Farore said, "Technically, she is dead."

Link began screaming and pounding on the top of the chamber. "Zelda! Zelda!" He leaned over it and began sobbing. "No… no, no, no…"

"I did say that it was reversible death," Farore added. "She's in stasis, like the last of the Zora. Wisdom will not be as simple to retune as Courage was, and for both to shine brightly, the balance needs to be brought. Do you understand, Link?"

Link nodded dumbly. "You will take care of her, won't you?"

"Of course. Now let's get you back into your clothes and on your way."

* * *

End Chapter 13

Turn to the Next.

.


	14. Blind Ambition

**THE GREAT DESERT**

**Chapter 14: Blind Ambition**

Wind stirred the leaves of the Kakariko forest. Some of the leaves on the trees were beginning to turn yellow, red and brown as the days became slightly cooler and much shorter. Large, pale cocoons rattled upon the Great Tree – no one in the town knew quite what to call it these days – it had been a mesquite tree but had revealed itself to be the Great Deku Tree. Either way, the spirit inside it remained silent. The great face upon the trunk appeared to be perpetually sleeping.

Midna and Navi walked upon the grass in the forest's shade. This was the first day in several that it was not raining. Rain had been falling upon the desert more often of late, but it seemed that gray clouds hung over this little forest almost perpetually. Many green things had been sprouting, but Old Kakariko was feeling decidedly gloomy.

"Saria's willow has grown," Midna observed, "The fronds are touching the ground. She is weeping hard."

"She's mourning," Navi replied. "The whole forest is. Though he was a different species and many lifetimes have passed since they've played with him, he was one of them."

"But we don't know anything for sure," Midna said. "We just saw that section of the palace collapse. We haven't heard any news. Maybe Sheik…uh…Zelda and Link got out."

"It's been weeks… the national television and radio systems have been cut off… we can't get any newspapers… the posse Givanna's leading hasn't found anything…I fear the worst."

"I do, too, little bug." Midna sat down on a flat stone and gazed up at the great willow. She could see Adelaide up on the side of the mountain beyond the temple, doing her daily patrol. "My advisor and physician, T'leth wants us to return to the Twilight Realm. He is worried about me. He says that he sees the beginnings of age in me – such cheek! I told him that I want to wait just a little bit longer for Princess Zelda. I have not yet decided to summon my army. I want to give it more time... just in case she's still with us. This is the first place they'll come back to, if they are still alive. I do not know about Link, but if Zelda were gone, I think there'd be more sign of it in the natural world. As it is, everything is just getting greener and the springs are getting bigger."

"Then maybe Link is still out there," Navi chimed. "He was restoring everything."

"Perhaps, but we both know that he would have died to take care of Cecelia and to save Zelda." The Twili queen sighed very deeply. "I remember the time when he almost gave everything to save me – but that was lifetimes ago. I didn't want to see him in this life, really. I didn't want to… lose him again."

"There were times after I left the Hero of Time that I wanted to find his other incarnations. I think I did once, long ago. I was doing work around the forests and was hanging out with some of my brothers and sisters at a small sacred spring. A young man came staggering in, bloody, an arrow in his shoulder. He tossed off his outer clothes and sat down, letting the healing fairies do their work. He looked so much like my Link, except his hair was darker and his features were a little rougher. I stared at him and he stared at me. He gave me this really sour look, like he was wondering why I wasn't trying to heal him along with the others. His shadow kept flickering."

"That was my Link," Midna said, smiling gently. "I actually remember that. He'd been caught in an ambush and had managed to fight off the enemy, but not without getting his tail handed to him. He told me later that he was wondering why that little blue fairy was just looking at him. I'd apologize for the both of us, but we had no idea who you were back then."

"I knew that Sheik was Zelda this whole time," Navi confessed, "long before Adelaide told you. I knew right from the start. You see, she pulled that trick before – during the Hero of Time's era. I agreed with her to keep it secret. She told me that she was tired of being the one to be rescued and kept safe all the time. She wanted to return to favor… to… not be the 'princess' for a while."

Midna craned her neck forward and narrowed her eyes. "What's that up ahead on the mountain? It looks like Adelaide found an enemy!"

* * *

The sun glared down and the light colors of the rocks and dirt hurt his eyes. It wasn't as hot today as it had been, but the sun's light was giving him a headache. Link scratched at his chin where the beginnings of a beard grew. This hillside was familiar. He knew he was in the right place, but why was he here again? He'd passed out in the desert from the heat more than once. He did not know why he was alive right now, and more importantly, he did not care.

Then, he saw her. Impa Adelaide called out to him and ran to him. "Link? Link, is that you?"

Perhaps she didn't recognize him for how dusty and grimy his clothes were. She stopped several paces away from him. He regarded her silently.

"You're a mess!" Adelaide exclaimed. "Where's Zelda?...Or er..Sheik…"

"I know who Sheik was," Link said in a hoarse voice. "They were one and the same because Zelda had to get involved with the danger - brave, stupid girl…"

"Do you know where she is? Link, we've got to know what happened to you."

Link stood straight and regarded her very seriously. "I killed her," he said coldly.

"You what?" Adelaide yelped.

"I killed her," Link repeated, his voice perfectly calm.

"How… how COULD YOU?!" Adelaide screamed, reaching for her jian. She advanced toward him and he drew his gun – but instead of aiming at her, he pointed it to the ground.

"STOP!"

Midna came running up the slope, shouting, Navi winging beside her. The fairy threw herself protectively in front of Link while Midna tackled Adelaide to the ground and grabbed her sword.

"What are you doing?" the Impa protested.

"Stopping you from making a big mistake!" Navi shouted, then she turned to Link, who holstered his gun. "Oh, Link, you look awful!" she lamented, "Can you tell us what happened?"

Adelaide struggled against Midna, who held her to the ground. Both were equally matched in physical strength, but Midna had the added advantage of her prehensile hair. "He said he killed Zelda!" the warrior grunted. "He's gone to the dark side! Justice must be dealt!"

"Don't be an idiot," Midna groused. "Just look at him. Don't you know a broken man when you see one?" She let Adelaide back up gently. "Something happened and he needs the chance to tell us about it. We should get him inside out of the sun and get him cleaned up."

"I think I was supposed to come here," Link said with a cracked voice, "but I don't remember why."

* * *

Midna, Adelaide and Navi convinced Link to take a bath and coaxed him to shave. They couldn't get him to eat more than a few bites of food, but they got him to sit down at a table with them and to detail what had happened in the throne room and after that. Midna and Navi helped him to explain to Adelaide about the rather interesting nature of the Goddesses.

"She…" Link said swallowing, "She took the ice-spear for me…and…and…and…well, even Farore said she was dead…I…I."

"Sssh, now," Midna said, rubbing his back. "She said they could bring her back. You have things you need to do, don't you?"

Link grabbed his left arm and winced. "This was Cecelia's power… I fear that it's tainted."

"Well," Adelaide said, rising from her seat, which squeaked as she pushed it back from the table, "Wandering around the desert alone like a fool didn't solve anything. Neither is letting your strength wane doing anyone any good. You didn't eat but three bites of the grain and cuckoo I prepared. How about I make you something you really, really like? Will you try to eat more then?"

"Zelda would want you to be strong," Navi added.

Link looked out the open window at the blowing leaves on the little trees that had sprouted up outside Adelaide's house. He gasped as he saw a little bird fly right in through the open window. He had seen cardinals before, but he'd never known them to fly right into people's houses. It was a cute little bird with very bright red feathers – a male. He hopped across the table and pecked at the unfinished plate of cooked grain with his fat little beak. In spite of himself, Link began laughing. "Navi, do you see this? Bold little bird – he just came right on in here! I can't believe it."

Navi remained silent. "Navi?" Link called, looking around for the little blue fairy, "Navi?"

The cardinal hopped up to him and cocked its head. Link held his hand out to it and the little creature hopped right up on the crook of his index finger. Link then remembered what the Hero of Twilight had told him about the visions of past Heroes. One of them was to be a cardinal. The bird danced about and chirped. It flared out its little wings and its little tail – as if trying to entertain him, to cheer him up.

Link smiled before finding himself within the empty courtyard of a grand palace. Strangely enough, he recognized this place. He'd been here before. This was the place beyond the Glass Waterfall, where he'd fought lynels and the aquamentus. This place was where he'd gotten the Pendant of Power. The towers were intact and vines climbed the walls. It looked, if not new, well-kept and glorious – so different than when he'd seen it in waking life.

"So, are you going to save her, champ?"

Link turned to the voice behind him. A man stood up from the bench he'd been sitting on. He was dressed in a green tunic with brown leggings and the customary floppy green hat – though this one was shorter than the long head-socks the other Hero-visions had worn. His hair was bright – a red-brown - and his bangs were long. The shock of hair stood out from his face in a robust manner.

"Do you mean Zelda?" Link asked as the man approached him. "I… I'm sorry. She died because of me. I can't save anyone."

"Listen to yourself!" the man with the long bangs said, "You know that there's a way to save her and if you save her, you save everyone. Don't tell me that you're just going to give up on your love?"

The bright-haired young man, though he acted quite chipper and casual, also carried himself in a strangely regal manner. As if he was sensing what Link thought, he brushed a hand over his own hair, then over his body. His tunic and cap disappeared, replaced by light knight's armor, a shimmering dark green robe trimmed in ermine and an elegant golden crown.

"A king," Link said.

"Yes," the man replied. He wrapped himself in his robe, spun around, and instantly was back in the commoner's tunic and hat. "Though I was always more comfortable in these clothes. So goes the Hyrule Royal Family, so goes the world. That is how it always has been."

"How are you doing that…. that which you did right now?"

"Magic," the reddish-haired man replied. "And that is my lesson for you. In my day, I was very in touch with magic. I learned many different spells – from simple spells to impart strength to my tunic and mail, to leaping high… to even restoring my body when I'd been injured."

"Hmm," Link grunted, "Very useful – but if you could use magic to restore your life, how come I'm not still you?"

"I had no specific title," the young man replied, "I was most often called the Hero of Hyrule, which is rather generic, but in my latter years, I was called the Hero-King of Hyrule. No amount of magic can make someone live forever, nor would I have wanted to. I died too young with a problem on my hands, but new lives are needed for new eras."

Link pointed at the Hero-King. "You… You're the Hero-King of Hyrule who ruled during the time of the Great Plague, aren't you?"

"Well, I didn't think it was so great," the Hero-King pouted. "I died from that sickness and let me tell you, it was pretty awful."

"But you tried to save everyone," Link replied. "According to the history I've read, the measures you enacted saved many lives."

"No amount of magic can trump nature," the Hero-King said with a rueful smile. "You have my magic in you and it is tied to nature. You have to let it flow through you. Don't be afraid of it."

The Hero-King sidled up behind Link and grabbed his arms, holding them out. "Just concentrate, time it with the beat of your heart. The Triforce will tell you want to do. Don't be afraid. Now that you have it in full, it is not tainted. Don't be afraid."

"How do you expect me not to be at least a little afraid?" Link asked, "The power of ice is something I saw kill my uncle. It feels different than the others."

"The enemy held it for a while," the Hero-King said, running his hands along Link's left arm, "but we have a knack for cleansing dark and tainted powers. However, power itself is something you must be careful of. Without wisdom, it becomes corrupt and can corrupt the wielder. I found that out the hard way once. Even a heart with the best of intentions can be led astray."

"But you did not become corrupt, did you? I would hope not, your being a king."

"I was speaking of another happening from before I became king, but yes, I did become corrupt for a while. Zelda – my Zelda… saved me. I was never without wisdom again."

"Zelda told me some things, and I've learned some history, but I wonder why I haven't learned more of you."

"Well," The Hero-King replied, "by the time my era rolled around, the idea of Heroes rising was a well-known and accepted concept, as was the idea that we were reincarnated. I can't say I actually remembered anything from past lives, but while I had no specific title, there were many people who called me the Hero of Time. I don't know whether they were taking the reincarnation thing into account – a Hero for all time – or if it was just because the previous era of Ganon's darkness had wiped out a lot of the literature and what you would call technology, but, yes, it was one of the titles I was known by. Most people looked back to the proper Hero of Time's legend to compare me to because more records of it survived than any of the other legends. I did my best to carve out my own name, but, in the end, I think a lot of the legends were lost again after I died, just before the era of the flood. I don't think any of us but the Hero of Time was widely remembered – at least until your era, where most people seem to think of the Heroes' great deeds mainly as exaggerations and fictions."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You know me now and in the end, Heroes do not fight for fame or glory, or even to be remembered. We fight to protect those we love…to just to do the right thing."

"Hmm."

"Glory would be nice, but what's important is Zelda."

As soon as Link shook his head clear of the vision at the table, Adelaide set a dish of grilled beef and vegetables before him, along with some soft bread and a tall glass of milk. He ate heartily and asked for more when he was finished.

* * *

Link walked alone into the Temple of the Goddesses. His footsteps echoed in its cavernous hall. While the temple was huge from the outside, he could have sworn that its interior was vaster than its exterior. He started toward the back area, the place that Zelda had once told him had strange inscriptions. He felt drawn to it, plus he remembered her saying that she'd seen old lettering meaning "fire" there. He guessed that that area was what he was meant to unlock with "fire" "ice" and "forest." He was in the temple to "unlock" it somehow. There was only one way to find out if that area was the door.

_Clap, clap, clap. _

Link tensed and drew his revolver when he saw a figure step out from behind a pillar. Normally, he'd feel guilty for drawing a weapon in a house of worship, but as soon as he saw who had surprised him, all regret was lost. The man's dark robes trailed on the tiled floor. He gave Link a baleful, yet somehow bored look and continued clapping slowly.

"Ganondorf." Link said

"It is nice to be recognized," the Evil King said before he stopped clapping. "I am impressed that you have made it this far. Perhaps you will open the gate for me, as you did many generations ago. Perhaps I shall just take from you what should be mine – the minor forces and the part of the major that you possess. Either way, I grow tired of this game."

"Why aren't you back at what remains of the palace?" Link asked. "Is it because I destroyed your pawn?"

"Cecelia?" Ganondorf said, quirking an eyebrow. "You did not destroy her. She lives and has become quite unstable."

"What?" Link mocked, "Did she kick you out of the palace? I don't believe that. You're supposed to be the head honcho of nastiness, aren't you?"

"I left the palace of my own accord," Ganondorf answered. "She is unworthy of Power. If she had taken it, you would have _wished_ for my reign, boy."

Navi quickly flew inside and hovered by the doorway. "Ganondorf!" she exclaimed.

"And the exposition-fairy is as astute as always," Ganondorf laughed. "Next she'll tell you that this place used to be known as the Temple of Time."

Midna entered and stood shock still in the doorway. "You!"

"So, it's a party," Ganon said. He waved his right hand and a strange, orange translucent barrier rose up from the floor and cut Midna and Navi off from Link and Ganondorf. Navi flew into the wall repeatedly, trying to break through, to no avail.

"Don't," Midna said, gently cupping the fairy in her hands, "You're hurting yourself. The only thing we can do is watch now. We must have faith in him."

Ganondorf drew two long, thin swords. Their hilts trailed dramatic red tassels. "I want to end the Goddesses' game, boy. They are not worthy. Neither is Cecelia, or Zelda or you! I will become the new god of this land – as it always should have been!"

Link dodged as one of the long swords came for his neck. It bit into a pillar with a loud clang. Link grit his teeth and fired the contents of his gun chamber for Ganondorf's copious form. The warlock drew his swords up, crossed them, and sent out a mighty wind-like force. Link's bullets came right back toward him. He jumped, but one of them caught him in the left leg.

"Augh!" he yelped, but he did not fall. It was a shallow wound and one he could work with. Another good pair of jeans was ruined, though. He grit his teeth and ran when Ganondorf's other sword came for him.

"You can't keep dodging forever, gunman!" Ganondorf bellowed. "Death isn't that bad. You've tasted it before!"

"You arrogant bastard!" Midna yelled from behind the barrier.

"Gunman," Link said to himself, "That's it! I can't be one here! Everyone's been saying that the Master Sword is Ganondorf's weakness!" Link drew it off his back, along with his shield. He ignored the pain in his leg and charged his enemy. He concentrated on blocking blows and looking for a good place to strike. Ganondorf was good… very good, better than Adelaide. His swords danced and Link tried to concentrate on the blades and upon Ganondorf's movements. He remembered the time Adelaide had given him a training session using a spear with a similar bright red tassel. She'd said that such fancy additions to a weapon were meant to distract the enemy, to catch his eye so he could be taken off-guard. She'd tripped him many times before he'd learned the concentration she'd been trying to instill in him. Now, he was using it and he made a mental note to thank her profusely later.

Of course, he also remembered that the purpose of a spear or sword tassel was to soak up blood. One of the blades sliced across his chest. Link brought the Master Sword to slice across Ganondorf's belly. They both hopped back at the same time, wincing and grabbing at their wounds.

"Well-matched!" Ganondorf hissed, "But I have not shown you my full power!"

"Link, watch out!" Navi called. The barrier began fading. Black clouds swirled around Ganondorf. He fell to his hands and knees. His muscles grew and burst from his skin. Link could hear bones cracking. Long, bristly hair sprouted all over him and he became enormous. When the transformation was done, Link found himself before hooves larger than he was tall and the long, snorting nose of a gruesome creature. The beast had the menacing fangs and the proud, straight shoulder-ruff of a javelina, but the heft and curving tusks of a feral boar. His hair was copious, long and as thick as needles. It took upon a blue cast in the light coming in through the temple's windows, dark at the base and light at the tips. A mane of red-orange hair stood proud upon the beast.

"Ganon in his glory…" Navi gasped.

Ganon roared and the foundation of the Temple of the Goddesses shook. The sound was something of a perverse mix of a hog's squeal and a lion's roar. Saliva glimmered off the creature's tusks.

Something within Link would have found the beast magnificent if he didn't have the knowledge that it wanted to kill him. Midna stepped forward and sent up her magical hair as a giant hand, ready to fight. Ganon snorted and galloped toward her.

"Midna!" Link screamed. He passed the Master Sword into his right hand and threw out his left to send a beam of ice for the giant boar's legs, calling upon his newfound Crystal. The shot missed, leaving an ice-patch on the floor, but Ganon immediately turned and charged for him. One of his monstrous hooves hit Link hard as he thundered past the Hero. Link was sent to the floor in a shivering heap.

"Link!" Midna shouted, running toward him. Navi flitted about the room and hovered right in front of Ganon's face.

"He's blind!" Navi exclaimed. "Ganon is blind in this form! He's a magic-seeker! No spells! No magic! He senses it!"

The fairy narrowly avoided being eaten by the demon. She zipped out of the way and tried to use her faint fairy-magic signature to lead him away from Link. Link winced and groaned as Midna helped him up. He choked and grabbed his stomach. He vomited a gout of blood from his mouth.

"Oh no," Midna whispered. "Internal injuries… you cannot last long unless we get you some help."

"I can fight," Link said, brushing her off. "Get out of the way."

"Link…"

"Run. Now."

Link passed his sword back into his left hand, held up his right and sent out a shot of fire into the air. Ganon shorted and turned towards him. Link stood still, grabbing the Master Sword in both hands.

"Link, what are you doing?" Navi shouted.

Link crouched low as the boar came for him. He thrust the Master Sword into its neck and leapt out of the way at the last instant. As he pulled the sword with him, swine-blood sprayed the floor and dappled his clothing. The wounded Ganon came after him, trailing dark blood as he ran. Link caught a glimpse above his head. He saw cracks in the ceiling of the temple, no doubt caused by Ganon's rampaging around. He crouched, braced the blade of the Master Sword behind him and called up the energy deep inside him – the energy the Cardinal had encouraged him not to fear. The triangle on the back of his left hand glowed golden-green and bright.

"Thunder," the young man whispered. The temple shook. Midna and Navi sheltered themselves as everything around them shook, as lightning ignited the interior of the temple and as parts of the roof came falling down. Midna used her hair to shield both her and the fairy. They looked around for Link, but he was lost in the dust. A huge piece of marble came crashing down and there was a horrible squealing noise.

When the dust began clearing, Link stood, though doubled over in pain, before Ganon. Blood flowed from Ganon's snout and he lay still, crushed beneath a massive chunk of the roof.

"Link!" Navi called, winging over to him. Midna re-bound her hair and picked up her feet. Before they got to him, he picked up his own feet and ran to the back of the temple. He left spats of blood upon the broken floor tiles from the wounds on his leg and chest and from the trail of blood that was dripping down his chin.

"Come on, Link, you need help," Midna said. He ignored her and spread out his hands upon the wall with the broken inscriptions.

"I have to unlock the temple," Link said weakly. "It's what Zelda wanted me to do. Something is back here."

He stood, closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying not to vomit again. Spheres of light glowed from his arms and chest, red-orange, blue and green. Midna and Navi both gasped as the temple wall instantly vanished. What lay behind it could only be described by either of them as "pure light."

Link stood tall and got a very distant look in his eyes. Midna readied herself to catch him in case he collapsed. He stepped forward, into the light.

* * *

Link looked around himself and saw nothing but light and what appeared to be wispy, golden glowing clouds. He wondered, for a moment, if he'd died, as he'd always imagined that this was what the entrance to the Afterlife must look like. He felt no pain and his wounds were healed. His clothing was likewise whole.

_You have made such efforts to find me, oh one of valiant heart…_

"Who are you?"

_I am the negative space, that which is around and between…That which holds this world together…_

"Have I died?"

_No, brave one, you have not. You are very well and alive. _

For a moment, Link felt at once divided and united. He could feel every one of his past incarnations with him – the ones that he met in his visions: The Hero of Twilight, the Hero of Time, The Hero of Nature, The Lost One, The Hero of Dreams, and the Hero-King. He also felt specters that he had yet to meet in any formal vision and possibly would not get to in this lifetime. They were nonetheless a part of him, as well. Most of all, however, he felt himself. For the first time in his life, he knew with absolute clarity the man he was.

_Your heart is true – you are a true Hero in every lifetime. What is it that you ask of me? I know your heart and what you ask. _

"Balance," Link whispered. "Make the land what it is meant to be. Shining, beautiful…varied, wonderful, peaceful…alive…"

_It shall be done, but for one last effort, valiant one. The virtues must be brought together. Courage, Wisdom, Power. These three…fragmented…made whole. Power is to be broken and united into one who is worthy. Defeat the one who is unworthy._

"Zelda?" Link asked, "Is there a way to save her? To make her awake and alive again?"

_Unite. _

* * *

Midna and Navi stood (and hovered, respectively) and looked at the light.

"Do you think he died in there?" Midna asked.

Someone coughed behind them. They turned around and yelped in collective shock. Ganondorf, in his "normal" Gerudo form stood behind them. Beaten and bloody, he looked with awe into the light.

"I'm only blind in my other form," he said, "It happened… because I got too old…too many times defeated…too tired…of...the endless game…" His jaw hung. "I'd never thought I'd see this."

In that moment, Link came stumbling out of the light and the wall that had vanished reappeared. "You!" Link said with a slight snarl. "I guess I didn't finish the job."

"I have a proposition for you, Hero," Ganondorf said.

Midna readied a ball of twilit magic. Navi hovered beside Link doing her best fairy battle-stance.

Link waved his hand. "I want to hear him out," he said.

"What?" Navi gasped.

"Don't you realize who this is?" Midna groused.

Link gave the Twili a look that told her _Don't worry, I'm in control of this. _

"Me, you and Zelda united," Ganondorf said. "I will stay my hand… for now. Cecelia has become a greater threat and I want my revenge. I believe that only the Triforce can stop her now. She will leave this land in ruins and nothing left for me to rule."

"But you've left the land in ruins before…" Navi began before being cut off.

"With her, it shall be worse! Even when my desire got out of control, I had my people to think about-"

This time, Link cut off Ganondorf. "Like that little girl you left back at the fortress in the Tantari Waste? I met your little princess, Gerudo-King and she is a very sweet little girl. She deserves better than the life of struggle you left her with!"

Ganondorf grunted and wrinkled his nose.

"Still, I accept your offer," Link said.

"What? Are you an idiot?" Midna protested.

"I never said I trusted him," Link said, cocking an eyebrow at her. "Consider this… utilitarian – a relationship born of pure necessity in a time of desperation. I know that you know all about those. Yes, Midna, I _remember_ now."

"He'll never grow to love you like I did," Midna quipped sourly.

"So, it is settled then," Ganondorf said.

"Yes," Link agreed. "First we take care of Cecelia. We can kill each other later."

"We have to find Zelda," Ganondorf added with a quirky little smile that was more than creepy. "You do know where she is, don't you, boy?"

"Yes, but I'm going to need quite a bit of power to get us all there. Midna, hold him down, please."

In one swift movement, Midna unbound her hair and caught the wounded warlock off-guard. As soon as he slammed to the floor, Link drew the Master Sword and plunged it into the back of Ganondorf's right hand. Red energy spiraled up it to join the green motes of energy that Link generated to slide down the hilt. The two differing energies hit where the blade joined the hilt, at the golden crystal decoration. Navi tucked herself under Link's hat and Midna held onto his shoulders. Leaves and wind spun round about them.

In an instant, the entire party was standing before the Abode of the Goddesses.

* * *

End Chapter 14.

Turn to the Next.


	15. Into the Sunset

**THE GREAT DESERT**

**Chapter 15: Into the Sunset **

Link had brushed all of the film-frost off the chamber. He gazed down at Zelda. There were several things he noticed about her that were different than the last time he was here. She was in different clothes – a loose white nightgown - and there was bandaging about her middle. Her hair had grown and was laid out down to her thighs – this was most strange. The feature that filled Link's heart with hope was the fact that she was, ever so softly, breathing. She didn't appear to be frozen solid anymore, though the chamber was cold. She had multiple tubes and wires attached to her arms, legs and neck and snaking beneath her skin.

"I will restore the land," Link said, "And I'll get you out of this coffin. I'll see you warm and alive again. I swear it."

He heard footsteps and voices in the hall outside. Ganondorf and Midna were talking.

"All this doesn't faze you at all?" Midna asked.

"Why would it?" Ganondorf replied. "I have never been to this place before, but I've known about the…fraudulent…nature of the Goddesses for a long time."

"I don't know if it's fraudulent so much as non-traditional."

They entered the room, followed by Farore. Navi hovered by Farore's head. The Goddess smiled at Link. "The Triforce of Wisdom has been strengthening," she explained. "We were able to patch up her wound and I believe she is strong enough for me to bring her up now – to waken her. If you are wondering about her hair, it is because of the new strength imparted to the Triforce. You found the aether, didn't you, boy?"

"Found it and communed with it…something like that," Link said, not taking his eyes off Zelda's sleeping face. "She's really going to be alright?"

"She's a strong girl," Farore said. "As you can see, she's not in a full-stasis right now, as evidenced by her ability to breathe. Rest assured, her spirit has returned to her, though she is still in a coma. The state she is in right now is not unlike the state we had you put in during your life as the Hero of Time, when your young body wasn't ready to handle the energies of the Master Sword."

"The seven years when I was king," Ganondorf mused with a wicked smile.

"Alright," Farore said, stepping over to the chamber and to the various devices surrounding it. "I'm going to try to bring her up. Then you three Bearers can fight the rogue element together, as discussed." The scientist-turned-Goddess worked some of the controls and the glass lid of the chamber cracked open a few centimeters with a cool steam as it was un-sealed.

Ganondorf continued to smile wickedly. He made great, lumbering steps toward the chamber as Farore did her delicate work. "How about a new plan?" he said. "I take what is rightfully mine – the Triforce of Wisdom - then I kill the boy and take the Triforce of Courage. I get my wish to rule and replace you fraudulent idiots. That sounds like the best plan."

He lunged for the chamber.

Link shouted and took the Master Sword off his back.

Midna screamed and threw out her magical hair. "You leave her alone!" she roared.

Ganondorf managed to grab her. With powerful, magical force, he threw her against one of the walls of the room. The Twili moaned and fell limp. Just as Link was about to bring his sword to bear on the large Gerudo, Everyone in the room was thrown back by a mysterious and mighty force. It arrived from a flat portal that appeared against one of the walls without touching it – black with boxy cyan streaks.

The figure that emerged from it stood in her blue dress and white-blond hair. Half her body appeared as though it were covered in hard ice. Her right arm was missing and she dripped with water. Her skin appeared raw. Parts of it were peeling off – it was as if the woman, herself, was melting.

"Cecelia?" Link gasped.

"The portal..." Midna groaned. "How did you learn my peoples' magic?"

"I am a sorceress of immense talent," the thing that was Cecelia hissed. "It is only fitting for the world's new Goddess to know all manner of magic."

"Sacrifice…" Midna managed, "To make that kind of a portal… had to have made blood sacrifice…doesn't smell…like beef blood…"

"I am here to take what is mine," the ice-mage said. "Oh, would you look at that, is the Hero afraid to strike me?"

"Step away from Zelda!" Link demanded. Cecelia was too close to her chamber for him to strike without worrying that he'd disturb her waking process and accidentally kill her. As far as his gun went, he was out of ammunition at the moment. "Come on, fight me in the open! Use some dignity and honor!"

Cecelia laughed. "You cannot make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, to quote a tired old adage. If you are unwilling to make some sacrifices, you will never be great."

She clenched her hand into a fist. Suddenly, Ganondorf fell to his knees and wheezed. He winced and gasped in pain. A red light shone and floated in the air. It was triangular in shape. The woman grabbed it. She held her fist high to show the golden-red glow of the Triforce of Power firmly embedded within her left hand. Immediately, her body began restoring itself. Her skin mended and became pale and soft. The ice on her body turned to vapor and hissed away from her. The most astounding thing, perhaps, was what happened to the stump of her severed arm. First, bones formed. Quickly, they were clothed with ribbons of muscles, whipping out over it like snakes, attaching themselves in the appropriate places. And finally skin, new and pale, covered the appendage.

"I became used to channeling my energies through Nayru's crystal," she said, "Too used to it, in fact. I came to rely upon its power too much. The sudden severing of that power was quite traumatic to my body, but I managed to escape the palace, all the same. Now that I have this little baby, I can do what I want. Power has chosen a new wielder. Pity poor Ganondorf…he's now just a weak old man!" She smiled an evil smile at the Gerudo-king, who was now on all fours on the floor, choking and cursing her. "You thought you were using me," she hissed, "but, the entire time, I was using you. I think I will let you die slowly now that you are no longer useful to me."

She then turned her attention to Link. "Shall we play a game, perhaps? I have not tired of the chase."

She snapped her fingers and disappeared. The portal closed behind her. Zelda's chamber was flung wide open and Farore yelped the words that sent cold horror through Link's spirit.

"She's gone! Zelda is gone!"

* * *

Link had a lot of trouble piecing together in his mind the events that had led him to this moment. The aether – the magical force that bound the world – wasn't helping him much. It wanted him to "unite the powers" and wanted him to destroy the one that had grabbed a hold of and was misusing a portion of its energies. It honored him, but was apparently neutral.

The Goddesses had taken care of Midna. She was back on the ship, lying in a bed and being fed painkillers. Ganondorf had thrown her against the wall hard. A few of her ribs had been broken and her right shoulder had been fractured. She had assured Link that she'd be alright.

"Go save her," she had said. "She is your princess and you are her Hero. Don't feel bad. Every age goes as it must. Little Midna is patient, my wolf. I can wait another lifetime for you."

He'd responded by giving her a tender kiss on the forehead. "Get better," he'd said before he'd set out.

Link was lucky in that he was able to call his horse to the base of the mountain with an old whistle Nayru had given him. Mysterious thing, it was. He was now riding across the northern desert, toward the Glass Waterfall and the old North Castle now, with Navi riding the brim of his hat. Something told him that it was where Cecelia would take Zelda. That something was seated behind him on Rhiannon's saddle. How in the world did he get talked into letting Ganondorf come along?

The ageless warlock was much too close for comfort. His huge arms were wrapped around him. If it were Zelda, this would have been romantic. As it was, Link had to force himself not to think about it or he'd feel acutely ill. Without the Triforce of Power to channel, Link couldn't get all the way to the North Castle ruins with the energy of the forest crystal – at least, not without killing himself.

Ganondorf wanted revenge on Cecelia. Ganondorf claimed to be intimately familiar with her magic. Ganondorf claimed that he'd be an ally, at least until Cecelia was destroyed and he got back what was his. Ganondorf claimed that Cecelia was unworthy of fighting Link like he was and that he couldn't give her the pleasure of killing him. Ganondorf claimed that only he could properly control the Triforce of Power, having been its longtime wielder and that he still had some power to stabilize it, even as it was within the cryo-witch. Ganondorf, Ganondorf, Ganondorf…

The only reason Link had tenuously agreed to this was that Din had pretty much said the same thing: She confirmed that Ganondorf had a better control over the Triforce of Power than anyone in Hyrule possibly could and that he would be necessary in the battle ahead as a stabilizing force. Although the Goddesses were not quite the deities Link had long believed in, he knew that they knew a lot more about the workings of the Triforce than he did, so he decided to trust her, even though he did not trust his current "baggage."

Link began to feel rather woozy. He shook it off. This was no time to be tired. By the time they'd gotten up to the ruins, night had fallen. The moon was full behind the towers and its light leant an extra eeriness to the old, broken castle.

"What are you looking at, boy?" Ganondorf asked as he saw Link staring at the north tower. "We'd best get within the walls before our footsteps awaken the lynels. The moblins will definitely obey me, but I am unsure the lynels will if they sense that I am bereft. I could destroy them all, easily, but I would rather not stain my clean robes with blood – at least, not until it is time to spill yours."

"The south tower…" Link began, "After the first time I defeated you during the lifetime in which I became the Hero-King, before I became king - I lived there while I helped rebuild Hyrule. It's broken now… my old room's gone. The north tower… it was the royal bedchamber when I was king…with Zelda as my queen… There's a little light up there… it's very faint. I'm sure that is where Zelda is being held."

* * *

Link raced along familiar corridors and halls with broken ceilings exposed to the sky. He did not care if he lost Ganondorf, but the Gerudo-king was always, inexplicably, two steps behind him. As he entered the first chamber at the base of the north tower, an enormous sword came for his head - then it vanished into thin air. He ducked and brought out the Master Sword. He looked and listened, but could not see who had attacked him. Ganondorf stood in the doorway and grunted. Navi flitted about, trying to find the enemy.

A phantom appeared in the shadows – a large creature in heavy armor and a horned helmet. "Those without honor shall not pass!" it boomed.

"I don't remember him being here before…" Link said. "Is he replacing the aquamentus?"

Ganondorf begun to laugh. "Why if it isn't my loyal Darknut Prime!" he said, "How have you been?"

"I've been DEAD, you swine!" phantom replied, "As for loyalty, you do not have the Power. I no longer owe fealty to you. I await one who capable of defeating me."

"I'll take you on," Link said.

"I may be a ghost, but trust me, if you fail, it shall be _you_ eternally haunting these halls."

"It's a deal," Link said, putting away the Master Sword.

"Link, what are you doing?" Navi squeaked.

Link reached into one of his vest pockets and felt the hard little object. He hadn't used it in a long time, but it was still there. Though the Goddesses had given him ammunition for his revolver, Link did not feel it quite honorable to fight a knight of the old order with a gun. The Master Sword would have been a wonderful weapon to do the job, but he remembered that he a weapon that had been specifically crafted to put to rest the spirits of the dead. Link brought out the heavy and long Blade of Bone and held its hilt, when it came to its full-size, in both his hands.

He dodged when the phantom's massive broadsword came for him. The end of it was strange, almost like a round axe. Link was lithe and quick. He jumped behind the old Darknut and sliced at the spectral binds that held his dark armor in place. It clattered to the floor and vanished. Darknut Prime rounded on him and drew a long, thin sword from his belt. The ghost was quick but Link was quicker. He wedged the tip of the Blade of Bone under his enemy's helmet and gave it a quick, powerful thrust.

Darknut Prime vanished like oil upon water and dissipated like smoke. "Well-matched," his voice boomed as he departed to wherever creatures like him were supposed to go, "You may pass. Vanquish those that have no honor."

Link reduced the Blade of Bone to its little carrying-size and slipped it back into his vest pocket. He wiped the sweat off his brow and sprinted for a newly-opened door and up the stairs it led to. At the top of the tower, he found Zelda tied up onto a pedestal with thick ropes. Her hands were cuffed and she'd been gagged. Strangely, however, she was in clothes of her usual type. Link ripped the gag from her mouth, and drew the Master Sword to cut both her ropes and her chains. Immediately, she leapt for him and threw her arms around him.

"Where's Cecelia?" he asked before finding her mouth thrust over his. Link returned her kiss with gusto. Ganondorf and Navi then entered the room.

"I think I may vomit," Ganondorf commented.

Zelda separated her lips from Link's. "We must hurry," she said. "Cecelia left me, headed back to the main palace. She's got this place rigged with explosives. You didn't trip any seals or fight any guardian beasts on the way in here, did you?"

"Guardian…beasts…" Link said dully.

"Curse you, Darknut Prime!" Ganondorf shouted before thundering back down the stairs. Link grabbed Zelda by the wrist and fled after him.

Once they got outside, the north tower became a dazzling fireball. The blast lit up the entire area. Lynels roared and stampeded. Moblins and lesser creatures squealed and ran. Debris rained down. Link pushed Zelda in front of him, shielding her with his body. Navi tucked herself under his hat and shivered in his hair. For unknown reasons, even as he ran, Ganondorf was laughing. It was no laugh of joy or of victory, but something rueful, something nostalgic and bitter.

As Link and Zelda made it past the Glass Waterfall and to where Rhiannon obediently waited, Ganondorf shouted to them. "Don't think you've gotten rid of me, Hero!"he called. "I have ways to follow you! I shall meet you in Castle Town!" He raised his fist and then vanished in a puff of smoke – not unlike Zelda had the many times she'd disappeared before Link's eyes as Sheik.

Link helped Zelda onto the saddle before climbing on in front of her. "If he could do that, why did he make me carry him on horseback?" he asked.

Zelda leaned against him and wrapped her arms around him and over his chest. "We have to get to Castle Town before my sister does something truly horrible," she said.

In the light of the full moon, the sands of the desert sparkled like the waves on an endless sea. Link remembered that now – the sea – though vaguely. Zelda held onto him tightly. This felt a lot better than before.

* * *

Castle Town was in chaos. People were running everywhere, trying to secure what was precious to them or looting what was not theirs from shops emptied of proprietors and customers. The streets were broken, as if the city had been hit by a massive earthquake. People spoke of seeing a huge white wolfo headed toward the ruined section of the royal palace that was being rebuilt. Shadowy figures, armored creatures and crazed wildlife ran through every side-street and alley.

Link had ridden Rhiannon right into the heart of this chaos. Zelda vaulted off her. "Head to the palace," she commanded. "I'll meet you there. I'm headed to the training grounds to see if I can find myself a proper rifle or bow."

Link jumped off his horse and started running, the Master Sword drawn. His feet screeched to a halt when he saw Ganondorf.

"Did you cause this?" he demanded.

Ganondorf yawned. "As much as I enjoy seeing this city laid low, this is not my doing. The Triforce of Power has run amuck. Come. Let us fulfill our deal, then, as you said earlier, we can kill each other after this is all done."

Navi flitted back and forth from Link's hat, looking around. She and the unlikely allies made it to the remains of the royal palace's throne room. It was much easier to do so than the last time Link had done it, seeing as it was partially destroyed with many gaping holes in the walls that had yet to be repaired. The guards normally stationed around the area had fled, save for the few that lay bloody and broken in the courtyard and upon the steps, torn to shreds and very obviously deceased.

Sitting upon the throne, under the open sky and amid rubble was Cecelia. She smiled broadly at Ganondorf and Link. "You made it here, I see. Such a fun game. It is nice to have adversaries that are not easy to kill."

"You disgrace the Power, madam," Ganondorf said. "And the Goddesses' game gets very tiresome after a while. I would not recommend it to a newcomer. You are, as you always have been, unbalanced. The toy is too much for you, little girl. Give it back to me. Playtime is over."

"Give up true Power when I've just found it?" Cecelia asked sarcastically, "What do you take me for, a fool?"

"Yes," Ganondorf said simply. "You are a foolish little child who does not know how to wield it properly. You do not even seek Wisdom. The way you challenge Courage is a joke. You are… pathetic!"

"Her dark energy is very strong, Link," Navi said. "I do not yet know where she is weak."

Cecelia laughed darkly. "For a god, Power is the only thing that matters." With that, Cecelia's form began changing. Her nose and mouth shifted in a grotesque manner. Her already long Hylian ears became longer and broader. Her hair spilled over her chest and back and began to meld with her dress and skin. Her neck extended, as did her legs. She grew in size. Soon, standing before the throne was not a woman, but a beast – a huge, pure white wolflike creature with a pair of jagged golden horns upon its head and spikes protruding from its spine upon its entire length until they stopped at the tail. She glared at Link and Ganondorf with yellow eyes as drool dripped down from her open mouth. The Triforce of Power glowed brightly on the back of her massive left forepaw.

"Power was my birthright!" she roared, "denied to me from birth because I did not have the spirit of Zelda! What rubbish! Treated as a second-class princess…I was the firstborn of the king's daughters! I was meant to rule! I have proven…that …I …will …always …get …what ...I …want!"

She dove for Link, her jaws wide and open. He dodged and swiped his sword for her back legs, hoping to hamstring her. He missed and skid upon the floor. Ganondorf mustered up a bolt of dark energy and slammed it into her shoulder.

Link's eyes went wide. "Ganondorf! Aim for me!" he shouted.

"Do you have a death wish, boy?" the warlock asked.

"No! The Master Sword – it repels your kind of energy! It's all coming back to me now!"

Ganondorf complied, sending a sphere of black and purple energy for Link. Link swung the Master Sword at it as if it were a bat. The ball of dark energy slammed into Cecelia's side. She roared and rounded on Ganondorf, who was not as quick at dodging as Link was. She tore into his shoulder as he sent a bolt of black energy into her mouth. Link stabbed one of her hind paws. Cecelia spit Ganondorf out onto the floor and came for him. The young Hero dodged and jumped, landing upon the throne, his feet on the armrests.

Ganondorf coughed, but stood. He conjured another ball of energy to send Link's way. He batted it at Cecelia just as he came at him with her jaws wide open, ready to snap him up. Link sent the ball of black energy right down her throat. She howled and fell to the floor. Link jumped to the floor, ready to finish her off when her form shifted back into that of a human and a mighty, cold wind burst out of her.

Quite suddenly, Link staggered, feeling woozy. "What's happening to me?" he asked.

Navi spiraled around him as if she were a healing fairy. She could not heal him, but she could make a rough diagnosis. "You've been weakened," she said. "And it's not by anything Cecelia's thrown at you. It looks like someone gave you a delayed-reaction spell."

"A delayed-reaction spell?"

"Din damn it, it's working too soon!" Ganondorf groused.

"You did this to him?" Navi demanded.

"I set him with it while riding to North Castle," he answered. "I wanted him weak after we finished this witch off so I could take care of him easily, but she's still al-"

Ganondorf's voice was cut off as a long dagger of ice slammed through his throat. Several more slammed into his body. He choked up a gout of blood and then fell to the floor.

Link dodged a volley of ice daggers that came for him and almost fell to the floor, himself. He was very dizzy and trying his hardest to fight it. Even the Master Sword – usually light in his hand – felt very heavy.

Navi flitted away from him, then back to him. "Ganondorf is dead!" she reported.

"Yes," Cecelia sneered as she floated about the room, her feet hovering mere centimeters from the floor. "It may have been an easy kill, but for one bereft of Power – quite an appropriate end."

Link faced her and staggered toward her. He turned when he heard footsteps clatter up the steps into the throne room's remains. Zelda stood, tall and proud, brandishing a bow with an arrow ready to fly. This arrow was no normal arrow, however. It glowed with a golden beauty, surrounded by pure light of the same kind Link saw when he'd communed with the aether. It snaked and spiraled around the tip of the arrow in motes like eccentric fireflies, only brighter.

"Wound her!" Zelda commanded. "The holy blade and the arrow of light can put her to rest together!"

As Link moved toward Cecelia, he fought the dizziness of the delayed-reaction spell and tried to keep his head clear. Suddenly, Link felt the cold, sharp, cruel bite of ice in his chest and in his middle. Wicked ice daggers slammed and ripped into him. He grit his teeth, tried to ignore the agony and lunged forward. He thrust the tip of the Master Sword right into Cecelia's heart. She lifted her head and howled. As soon as Link withdrew his weapon, Zelda's arrow of light slammed into the open wound.

Cecelia looked skyward, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. Her hair flew out behind her, as if blown by a mighty wind. She roared a human-then-inhuman scream as ice, forming from her feet upwards, encased her entire body. The chunk of ice fell hard before the throne, then shattered.

Ice, water, blood and bones – their former flesh in remnant tatters upon them – lay upon the throne room floor. Lank white-blond hair lay soaked, attached to the skull, which seemed to regard Link in one last broad, perverse smile. Light had fled the arrow that Zelda had shot. It looked like any other arrow, struck between Cecelia's greasy ribs. Link tried to ignore the queasy feeling that washed over him, along with his pain. The ice embedded in his body began to melt. Frigid water mingled with his blood and both fluids trailed down his legs to drip upon the floor in steady drops.

He could hear Zelda's footsteps behind him. He saw it floating before him, sparkling, golden-then-red, having quit Cecelia's corpse. It emanated a gentle red light. Link sheathed the Master Sword and held his hands out to cradle the space around it. He did not touch it, but merely held it. He felt a strength flow through him, enabling him to withstand his wounds. The blood running down him stopped, though he knew that he was not healed. He could be if he touched the object. He could have strength without limit if he accepted it into himself.

He turned around and faced Zelda and Navi, who was hovering beside her. He smiled.

"The Triforce of Power!" Navi gasped.

"Zelda," Link said, stepping toward her, "It didn't depart." He grabbed her by one hand while the mystic triangle hovered above his other hand. "H-here… you should have it."

"Link! Are you sure? I think it's chosen you."

"It hasn't chosen anyone yet," the young Hero replied. "And I can't take it. I know that I would not use it well. I could become worse than Ganondorf or even Cecelia… if I had this." He took his hand from her wrist and pointed to his head. "You have the Wisdom to use this well. I'm too straight n' narrow…up here."

"It is your sense of justice that makes you a Hero."

"It is my sense of justice that could also make me a villain," Link answered. "You have the Wisdom to temper Power. And perhaps you'll soon have Courage, as well."

Link shoved the Triforce of Power right into Zelda's chest. She gasped as she felt its essence enter her and she saw the topmost triangle on the mark on the back of her right hand glow. As soon as this task was done, Link collapsed.

"Link!" she and Navi called at once. He fell first to his side and then rolled onto his back. His wounds reopened and the whole of his body from the neck down glistened with blood. His head rolled and he made little shivers of pain. "Ow…ow…ow…" he whispered weakly. His breathing became a soft wheezing.

Zelda knelt down beside him and stroked his hair. "Stay, please?" She asked. She looked over his wounds and held her right hand over him, sweeping down his torso, as if trying to sense the hurt and take it away. She wished she could do that. Inwardly she prayed, hoping that the Triforce of Wisdom would light up like it did that night at the ranch when their journey had begun. She searched deep within herself, trying to call forth the healing. She even tried calling it from her newfound Power.

It wasn't coming. Zelda's heart constricted when she saw Link's left hand. The Triforce of Courage mark was pulsing – and fading. Its glow seemed to be timed to an ever more languid heartbeat.

Navi hovered in front of his nose. "Navi is here," she said with a breaking voice. "I haven't left this time…. Not this time. You are not on the battlefield alone. Navi is here for you."

"Thank you," Link mouthed, sliding his eyes halfway open. He cracked a faint smile. He turned his gaze to Zelda. He coughed and winced, then tried to give her his best smile. "You have a lot to do," he said, "a country to run and all – with many good people to take care of. Do well and don't let me down. Your life isn't just yours."

The princess held his left hand in both of hers. She tried to fight back her tears for his sake and smiled in spite of herself. The last thing he should see before entering the Sacred Realms, or being captured by the Goddesses or finding himself in a new life was something reassuring, something hopeful and beautiful.

"I like your hair down like that," Link said, smiling. "It's all long… so beautiful. You're so… beau..ti…ful."

Link closed his eyes and his head fell to the side. His hand went limp in Zelda's grasp. She set it down beside him. "You will be remembered," she said softly. "This lifetime of yours… I will make sure it is remembered."

"Huh, what's that?" Navi gasped.

A strange, sparkling light appeared beside the fallen Hero. A figure emerged from it.

"Farore?" Navi asked. The woman was, indeed, the woman she'd met at the great ship on Apex Mountain, but she was also quite different. She had features that Navi recognized – that same face, but her glasses were gone, hair was wild out behind her and appeared to take on a green tinge. She appeared to be taller and there was something in the way she carried herself that told the little fairy that she was much, much stronger than she had ever appeared to be before. She looked, truly, like the most formidable of her artists' depictions over the centuries, though she still had the round, normal-human ears. Zelda stared.

"I will take care of him now," Farore said in a voice that echoed, yet was kind and comforting. She bent down and picked Link up in her arms, cradling him as a mother might cradle a gangly child. His hat fell off his head and too the floor. She turned and sparks of light enveloped her until both she and her cargo vanished.

After staring into the empty space left by her departure for several moments, Zelda gently picked up Link's wide-brimmed hat. She held it to her chest and softly wept.

* * *

End Chapter 15.

Turn to the Next.

Yes, there is a Next.


	16. Into the Dawn

**THE GREAT DESERT**

**Chapter 16: Into the Dawn**

Her feet echoed upon the cold concrete as she made her way to the workshop. She disliked wearing formal attire, but it was expected of her when she came out into the public – at least during those occasions when she was not riding or rowing, or engaged in a royal hunting excursion or involved in one of her many explorations of old landmarks and temples. Within Castle Town, however, it was heartening to the people to see their newly coroneted queen dressing the part. Still, she made sure to wear comfortable shoes (boots beneath the frilly dress) and to carry a derringer concealed beneath that same dress, tucked into a little holster on her thigh.

The months had not been kind to Queen Zelda, but she tried to appear well. She had to come to terms with the fact that she had killed her own sister. Even though Cecelia had thrown away her humanity and had become a demon, she had been the last of Zelda's family. Sometimes, knowing that the deed had to have been done was nothing more than cold comfort. Her other sisters were gone and, save for her faithful Impa; she was quite alone in the new endeavor of running a country. She may have had lifetimes of experience, but none of them were the same as this lifetime. Navi had left to live at one of the new fairy springs that had cropped up. She had found a lover there and finally wanted to start a family. Midna and her advisors had wholly disappeared. Zelda figured that they had gone back to the Twilight Realm, though she wondered why her fellow queen had not seen fit to give her a goodbye.

She entered a shaded building – a vast complex – and took the hat off her head. She felt silly wearing it over her less-formal light crown, but it had been a fun way to transport it. She had received several strange looks from townspeople. The clanging and din of artists at work filled the foundry. Half-finished projects in clay were everywhere – garden statues, religious works and things to furnish the newly rebuilt portions of the palace. "Miguel!" she called.

The reason for her visit to this place was to check upon the progress of the memorials. She'd commissioned two – one commemorating the sacrifices of the people and one commemorating a most special individual. Miguel – a man who went by only one name and would get quite agitated if anyone tried to call him by his surname – was the foremost sculptor in Hyrule. Word had it that his assistants had finished final preparations on the general memorial to those that had died under the reign of Ganondorf and Cecelia. Zelda had given him many photographs and drawings she had scrounged up of specific individuals to depict, including Kara, Anya and Link's uncle.

The robust old man came striding up to her. "Oh, you brought it! Wonderful, wonderful!"

"It is just a hat," Zelda said, I don't know why it is necessary for you to see it – you could have picked up one like this at Mallard's Market."

"Ah," Miguel said, taking the object gently, "but this is _his_ hat. I strive for accuracy! I strive for perfection! The Goddesses are in the details, as they say."

Zelda had kept Link's hat as a memento of him. In fact, it was the only physical connection to him that she had left. Normally, it stayed upon a shelf in her bedchamber. She'd kept it in excellent condition. Adelaide had kept his old sword – his father's sword and Zelda had personally tapped and struck the Blade of Bone (which had fallen out of his pocket in the throne room) into the ground at the entrance to the Bone Temple. The Master Sword and Link's gun had both disappeared along with his body when Farore had decided to take him.

"Come see the wax model, my queen," Miguel said. He led her to a table. Spread upon it were many sketches and many photographs of Link – provided by his cousin Malon of Ordona Ranch as well as a young shutterbug that had lived in Old Kakariko. In some of them he was smiling, in some of them he was not. Also upon the table was a two-foot high sculpture in brown wax depicting Link holding the Master Sword aloft in his left hand. "As you can see," Miguel continued, "I got some details of the hat wrong. Allowing me to borrow the treasure for direct reference is a great help to me."

Zelda looked down at the back of her right hand. Two triangles of her Triforce mark were light in color. The third was dark. Power and Wisdom evidenced their presence. She wondered why she had not received Courage. The only answer her mind could come up with was that she was unworthy. She had not fought her sister herself. She had come in too late and had let her Hero die. Every day, the tasks ahead of her seemed overwhelming. Perhaps she was a coward and Courage was in the keeping of the aether and the Goddesses or was already transferred to a new life.

She had the census takers on alert to inform her of any Hylian babies born given the names "Link" or "Linnette." Considering the fact that everyone wished for peace and had a greater understanding of the name's portentous meanings, it was not likely to become a popular name for a long time. Zelda knew that he wouldn't remember her, but if she could hold him (or her if the Goddesses wished for some variety the next go-round) in her arms for a few moments and know that his life continued, it would make her happy.

"My queen?" Miguel asked, snapping Zelda out of her private thoughts, "Before my crew commits to the full-sized sculpture to be cast in bronze… What expression do you think he should have? Do you wish him to look stern, ready to punish evil? Or would you like a more kind and pleasant look?"

"He should be smiling," the young queen answered. "He did well. He should be smiling."

* * *

_Beep, beep, beep. _

What was that horrible noise? It was annoying, awful!

_Beep, beep, beep. _

It had the sound of a heartbeat, but sharper. It sounded like impending death. Yes, that's what it sounded like. Maybe it had to do with that dream he'd once had where some mysterious person was in control of his every move. They were getting him hurt, running him into spikes and fire and gruesome creatures - and there was this horrible beeping noise before he woke up screaming.

_Beep, beep, beep. _

He could not scream now. The voice would not come. He could only breathe deep from what felt like… was this a mask over his face? No, just over his nose and mouth.

_Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep!_

Enough already!

"He's waking up! My queen, there's been a change in his condition! He is awake!"

Voices above him sounded like they were swimming through water. He cracked his eyes open. The light felt like razors in his eyes and a club to the back of the head. He breathed deep again and blinked away the fuzziness. Ah, they were working again. The entire room seemed dark, yet light. The walls and the ceiling appeared to be black but with many lines and symbols in glowing cyan and red running along them. He closed his eyes again and felt fingers brush along his ears. Before he could flinch, the brushing became rhythmic and he felt… soothed.

"Midna," he managed to whisper before opening his eyes again. The ear-brushing stopped and he felt her hand cup his chin and left cheek. He gazed up at her and saw her gazing right back at him. Her face was very pleasant. She smiled sweetly.

"Link," she said softly. "I'm glad you finally woke up. Sleepyhead. Lazy, lazy Hero. After all this time, I was worried you wouldn't be able to. I was expecting you to slip away one of these evenings.

_Beep, beep, beep. _

"What's beeping? Can you make it go away?

"No, silly. That's your heart monitor. We need that to know your condition, especially since…"

"Especially since what?"

"Especially since… well, my doctors had to make a few… replacements… Link. The Goddesses allowed me to take care of you. I brought you here. This is the medical wing of my palace in the Twilight Realm. We rely on technology here, not on fairies. It is a part of our magic and our technology is far in advance of what Hyrule knows. You were very bad off when you came here… barely alive. Many of your internal organs were badly damaged. Long story short, you have a few artificial organs now, including a new heart. Oh, don't give me that look! It's quite strong! It can withstand more than a natural heart, actually. You should be grateful."

"Thank you," Link began, "for saving my life, but will I have to hear this accursed beeping forever?"

Midna laughed quite loudly. "Once we're able to get you strong again and out of bed, you won't need the monitor anymore. The beeping will stop. I promise."

"You're not hurt anymore. How long have I been here? Does Zelda know?"

"In Light World time measurements you've been here… let's see… a little over half a year. I have not been in contact with Zelda in that time. From what Farore told me, she is well, but I imagine she thinks you dead."

"Zeldaaaaa." Link whined. "I gotta get back to her. Help me up outta bed and call me up a portal."

"Your wounds are mostly healed," Midna said, "but you have been in bed a long time. Your muscles have not seen use. You haven't even had solid food in a while – we've been feeding you through your veins. You don't want to see how thin you are now. You're as weak as a kitten, my dear. We need to get you strong again before you go anywhere outside of this palace."

* * *

Zelda steeled herself, the only copy of her hand-penned speech in her hands. She was wearing a formal dress – pink and white with golden shoulder-armor and a frontpiece covered in sacred symbols. Her crown was gold and tails of her black hair were bound with golden threads. The rest of it trailed down her back. Her advisors had suggested doing it up, but she had refused. _He_ had liked it this way, long and down. She could hear the murmurs of the crowd gathered in the palace courtyard. Every kind of person was there from dignitaries in formal attire to cowhands in jeans and chaps. Gorons milled about the crowd. Rito and their cousins, the Watarara perched upon the high courtyard walls. Every living member of the newly-awakened Zora race was there, though that was not saying much since their tribe was currently quite small. Gerudo were among the crowd, doing their best to show their peaceful and good intentions.

Even a few fairies were fluttering about – now that people believed in fairies again – though Navi was not among them. This was excusable – she and her husband had to keep a close watch upon their clutch of delicate, developing eggs and could not leave their spring at this time.

The temporary platform had been set up, across from the Peoples' Memorial and right in front of Link's statue. Sunlight glimmered off his gun holster, the representation of the Master Sword and the well-formed cheekbones of his gently smiling face, despite the shade of his hat. Miguel had done a beyond-excellent job. It really was perfect. Both of the bronzes were large and towered over the courtyard.

"Ready?" Adelaide asked, clapping Zelda softly on the shoulder.

Zelda nodded. "I know you did not believe in him at first, but he was a good Hero this time – he was."

"Security is nice and tight," the Impa said, "Some of those Rito are snipers. Go ahead and address the public."

Zelda stepped up to and stood upon the platform before the microphone, staring out at the sea of faces. "It has been one year to the day since the tyrannical reign of Cecelia Claudia Nohansen the First and Only and Ganondorf Dragmire the Eternal ended," she began. "In that time, I have witnessed the people of Hyrule – all of you – behold a magnificent hope and strength. Although miracles have happened and the desert has begun to bloom, the road ahead of us is very long. Although the worst is behind us now, many of the coming days will be continue to be days of hardship. We must stay strong and work together to create the future and to honor those that are not with us to see it." She shook her fist in the air, "We are HYRULE, now and forever – we are the Phoenix! We always rise from the ashes!"

A thunderous cheer went up from the crowd. Zelda motioned with her hand for everyone to calm down. She was glad that this was coming so fluidly to her.

"We must not forget the sacrifices made. I ask now a moment of silence for everyone that was lost in the tyrants' rise to power and in the fight against them."

The crowd collectively bowed their heads and went completely silent for several minutes before Zelda began to speak again. "Many of you have lost important people – mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children, other relations and friends. Some of you have even had your races decimated. Those that have been lost can never be brought back. We can only honor them and hope that their spirits have found rest. I have lost all of my own family and stand before you the last of the ancient Royal Bloodline. I will do my best to honor it… and all of Hyrule."

Another cheer, unbidden this time, went up from the crowd. Zelda hushed them again and gestured behind her. "And to the man who has no bloodline left, the one who sacrificed everything to bring us liberty and peace – Link Daphenes Ordona Jr. I was with him in his journey and saw him grow from a kid caught up in circumstances he did not understand into the Hero. He accepted the many impossible tasks that were laid before him and gave Hyrule his heart. He brought the balance to the land – a success, though he never got to see it. I know that, for the rest of my life, I will miss him. He deserves the utmost honor – always in our hearts, never to be forgotten."

The crowd began chanting. "To Link! To Link!" they cried. Zelda sniffled and tried to fight back the fresh tears. Her face carried a sad, affectionate smile before she joined the crowd in chanting "To Link! To Link!"

Suddenly, the crowd parted as a man began running through it, pushing people aside, insisting people get out of the way. "Zelda!" he cried, waving a hand, "Zelda!"

One of the Rito sitting on the wall behind Zelda readied his rifle and asked the Watarara sitting next to him "Should I take the shot?"

"No," the Watarara said, holding his companion's rifle down. "My sharp eyes can see something. That character looks familiar."

"Isn't that a sword on his back?"

"He's not doing anything with it. He's just calling her name. Stay your shot."

People in the crowd began murmuring. One woman shouted; "Ghost!"

The man pushed his way closer to the queen's podium. "Well, I'll be!" Adelaide gasped. "That rascal! I'm going to put him in intensive care for making my Zelda cry!"

Zelda, for her part, nearly had a heart attack. Instead of that, she cried out "Link!" and leapt right off the platform. Her subjects rushed to catch her. As soon as her feet were on the ground, she ran to Link and embraced him tightly. The crowd parted as the two spun each other around, enjoying the solid feel of each other's living bodies.

Link looked up at the huge statue of himself. "I take it all ya'll missed me?"

"You'll never know how much!" Zelda sniffled. "What happened to you?" The queen then stood apart from him and gave him a sour look. "I thought you were DEAD, you jackass!"

"Easy now," Link said, "It's a long story. We should discuss it over tea or milk or beer or something."

The crowd, now looking upon the queen and the Hero, started in their chanting again, only this time, with joy instead of reminiscence, with gusto and life. "To Link! To Link!" Then someone started peppering it with "To Zelda!" and soon the crowd was chanting both of their names.

And they shared a long, deep kiss.

* * *

"I'm not one-hundred percent yet," Link lamented as he sat upon a plush couch in Zelda's tea room.

"I can see that you're very tired," Zelda said, sitting across from him. She poured him a mug of strong black tea – not a cup, for Zelda was a firm believer that those that truly enjoyed their tea enjoyed lots of it. Prissy little mannered teacups were not enough for her, nor did she think they were enough for a strong young man. As such, she only kept large teapots around and she did not care a bit over her lack of daintiness in this or any other area of her life. Hyrule was still a hard land right now, despite new growth and the beginnings of a return to proper, temperate seasons in most areas. In this lifetime, Zelda's Hyrule deserved and needed something different than a dainty queen.

"I was asleep for a long time," Link said. "I really don't know how Midna did it, but she and her people saved my life. Her personal doctor, T'leth, came with me because he was worried about my being up as soon as I am, actually. I hope your guards do not detain him for very long."

Zelda rose from her seat and cracked the tea room's door open. She spoke to a servant, and then sat back down. "Taken care of," she said.

"I've been in physical therapy in the Twilight Palace for a while now… I've gotten back most of my looks, but I'm not as strong as I'd like to be yet."

"You may stay here at the palace for as long as you like."

"Really?" Link asked, "I mean, I don't want to impose. You're a queen now and I'm sure you're very busy, and I'm just a commoner…"

Zelda gave Link a mildly annoyed look. "Link, you saved the frigging world. Stop being so humble. Take a little honor now and again."

"I like the statue," he replied, "Though seeing that 'In Loving Memory' plaque on an image of myself is a bit creepy."

"I'll have the plaque changed," Zelda said, "But the statue stays. Do you have any idea how much I paid for that out of the remains of my family's funds? I didn't feel it right to use the people's taxes with so much needed to be done in the land. And I'll never hear the end of it from my chief sculptor if I take it down. He is a brilliant, but very sensitive man. You're just going to have to get used to it, Mr. Humble."

Link stifled a small laugh. He was feeling better already.

"Besides," Zelda said, curling a bit of hair around her finger, "I was thinking of making you a permanent resident at the palace." A gleam sparkled in her eyes, "Every queen needs a consort and I can't think of anyone who'd make a better king. That is, unless Midna already has tabs on you."

"No," Link said with a small, slow shake of his head. "No… Midna does like me a lot, but the man she fell in love with was a previous incarnation. I consider her a wonderful friend but… I am no longer the Wolf. I am the Coyote now and can never be the Wolf again. What is in the past is in the past. This time around, my heart is yours, though… currently… it is artificial."

Zelda's eyes went wide and her ears perked.

"Cecelia hurt me very badly at the end, there. Twili… well, they have strange ways, medically. Some of my organs are no longer natural, including my heart. They say the Triforce of Courage kept my spirit with me just long enough for them to get me into surgery and hooked up to their machines. It's an artificial pump, but Midna and T'leth assure me that it is very strong and will keep me alive well into Hylian old age. It does feel a bit weird, though… it's got a different rhythm than my old one."

"Let me listen?" Zelda asked. They both stood up and moved out of the way of the tea table. They held each other and Zelda put an ear to Link's chest. She closed her eyes. "I like it," she said, "It's soothing. It's not much different than a natural heartbeat."

"Oh, I almost forgot," she said suddenly, parting from him and reaching for a little wooden chest upon a little desk in the room. She withdrew an item and set gently upon Link's head. "It's just a little national treasure," she said. "Every king needs a crown."

Link touched its brim. "My old hat!" he exclaimed. "You… you kept it?"

"Of course I did. It was my memento of you. It looks better on you than on my bedroom shelf or in a chest."

* * *

Link and Zelda took a very long tour of Hyrule, for after being told about the changes in the land, Link wanted to see them for himself. When he'd requested to go to Castle Town the day he caught up with Zelda, he'd simply been sent to the southern gate on a Twilit warp portal. He did not get to see any of the land. The queen and the Hero traveled in an open-carriage in order to better enjoy the newly bursting spring in the land. The entourage that traveled with them was large, but they tried to ignore it. Zelda, being Hyrule Queen now, had to have security (headed by her Impa) and, of course, servants eager to do their jobs. She humored them and tried to get Link to ease into it. She'd grown up with this kind of treatment before their adventure began. Link was wholly unused to having people do so many things for him.

Wildflowers covered the hills, even in the Tantari Waste, which, obviously, had wanted to stay a desert. It was as it should be – some deserts had always been a part of Hyrule. Link and Zelda visited the Gerudo tribe's fortress there and Link introduced his queen to Givanna and little Shana, who presented Zelda with hand-picked flowers. The tribe was doing well, living off drought-resistant crops and using farming techniques that had been pioneered by Link's father. They even saw the grave of Ganondorf. Zelda had his body commended to his tribe to do with as they saw fit. Cecelia, however, she had cremated and scattered to the four winds for fear that some of her power lingered after death and that she could come back somehow. There was a small monument to her in the royal cemetery because she had been, after all, a king's daughter.

Zelda and Link then proceeded to take a tour of Lake Hylia which had become a proper lake, full of water. It had even, inexplicably, become filled with fish. Zoras swam and sunned themselves. They played beautiful music for Queen Zelda and their leader, Laru, had even composed a song to honor the Hero. Link blushed and felt embarrassed, but for Zelda's sake, accepted the honor. He'd been informed that the Steel Temple still lay at the lake's bottom, near another temple that had long been a place of worship for the Zoras, newly uncovered. Lake Hylia was so vast that it had its own, minor tides.

The queen and Hero moved onto Old Kakariko village, which had grown up into what people were calling Old Kakariko Forest or, alternately, the New Kokiri Forest. The village itself was still small, but had become a very happy place. It was filled with children – and not just the ones that had before lived in the village, but fresh young Kokiri, which had been born from the cocoons that had grown on the Great Deku Tree. They'd come out long-limbed and gangly, self-sufficient but with the joy of youth. None of the Kokiri were anyone that Link had ever known. The Great Deku tree spoke to him and told him that they drew their energy from the forest, and eventually, the forest would draw their energy from them. Everything was reborn in the forest, eventually. Saria's willow was strong and proud.

Ordona Ranch had become very prosperous. Malon smothered Link with hugs. A flush of green had covered the land and the hills were covered with grass for the cattle, goats and horses to graze. Streams had formed nearby and even Lady Gwen seemed to be getting along better, hobbling less. Blake Bladebringer had come down off his hill and had carved out a place for himself on the ranch as a wrangler. Link had found his Rhiannon there, pregnant with a foal that would fetch the ranch a very high price from being the offspring of the Hero's steed.

New sacred springs had begun to form throughout the land, some hidden, and some in the open. The guardian spirits had been brought to peace, and since Cecelia had been vanquished, they had scattered out to their respective areas. Link and Zelda had found Navi and met her hatchings, one of whom had been named after Link. Ordona's spring was now clean and deep enough to swim in. Its color was mineral-blue.

Link took a personal trip up to Apex Mountain. The Goddesses' Abode had disappeared entirely, leaving behind the garden of statues. Three white marble statues stood in a triangular pattern – the large one with piglike features, the woman in the crown and the swordsman. He wondered if Din was finally able to make the ship fly. Perhaps it had vanished entirely into the aether, becoming one with it, along with the mysterious ladies.

He came down the mountain and went back to the ranch to spend a few more days "at home," before he and Zelda headed to the sandy shore of the newly-restored Calatian Sea. They walked along the beach and watched the tide roll in.

"The aether channeled through you, with your good wishes," she told him, "The springs of water, the tides of the lake and the seas, it is because you united the powers and provided a new channel. The tides of change have come to Hyrule. This is why you are the Hero of Tides."

A raucous sound overhead caught Link's attention. "Hey, its' a gull," he said. "I thought they'd all lived in the cities, dining on scraps."

"Well, the sea has returned," Zelda said. "He has found his home."

As Link looked at sparkling waters out ahead of him, the seagull landed upon a rock. It cocked its head at him. Suddenly, Link saw a little boy in front of him – a handsome blond lad in a bright blue shirt bearing a white crawfish design.

"Hello," Link said to the kid, "I thought these visions would stop. Isn't my quest over? In any case, I actually remember being you. The Hero of Winds, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yep!" the boy replied.

"Nice shirt," Link said, pointing. "I remember that. I loved it. Grandma made it for us."

The Hero of Winds smiled. "I always preferred it to the Hero's Clothes. You may remember me now, but it does not mean that you do not need me. Anyway, I am here to thank you."

"Thank me?"

"Thank you for bringing back the sea."

"Am I to learn anything from you?"

"Not really. I'm here, pretty much, as an encouragement. You are a little insecure. I was, too, during my time. You shouldn't worry, though. The journey ahead of you is long, but the winds are blowing in your favor. You are going to become a great king, the greatest that Hyrule has yet known. You've brought balance to the sea of sand. You should be proud and confident."

With that, the Hero of Winds vanished and the seagull returned to the rock. It flew away, out over the waves. Link watched it go before turning back to his queen. She smiled, as if she, too, had seen everything that had just happened.

"You're going to do just fine," she said.

"When I communed with the aether," Link began, "It told me that I was to unite the powers." He looked out over the sea again, and then took Zelda's right hand in both of his. With a sense of ceremony, he placed his left hand over her right, his Triforce mark over hers. "I think, ultimately, this is what it meant."

They leaned in close to one another, dropping their hands. Her hands snaked around his middle. In the salt spray of the restored ocean, their lips found each others'. The Hero held his Princess; the Queen held her future King, and a refreshed, timeless land greeted the dawn of a new age.

--The End--

--Staff Credits—

Head Writer, Western Generator and Beast Wrangler – Shadsie

Co-Idea Jockey, Editor, Science Fiction Generator and Mastermind behind the Aether – Sailor Lilith-chan

Random Inspirations provided by - Trigun and Trigun Maximum (story mood and quirks, and a few direct quotes from the manga in Chapter 3), The Twelve Kingdoms (for Kokiri/Great Deku Tree reproductive biology), Arizona (where Shadsie grew up), and Texas (where Sailor Lilith-chan grew up).

Background Music While Writing provided by – U2, Kansas, Genesis, various artists/whatever Shadsie felt like putting on play.

Legend of Zelda-specific Background Music provided by – ZERO (Zelda Re-orchestrated).

"The Legend of Zelda," Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, Midna, Navi, et al. Copyright Nintendo.

Thank You:

To Shigeru Miyamoto, Eiji Aonuma and Nintendo for looking the other way when people do fanworks, for being so kind as to let the fans write completely bizarre stories like this one, and, most of all, for creating videogames that can enchant hearts as much as the LoZ games do.

And to our readers, for muddling through this long, strange story.

STORY OVER.

READ AGAIN?


	17. The Great Timeline and Extra

**THE GREAT TIMELINE**

_Sometime after the Great Sea came the Great Desert…_

PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS BEFORE READING "THE GREAT DESERT" AS THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR THE FAN FICTION.

This is a general Timeline of the eras of the various Legend of Zelda game titles as they relate to _The Great Desert_. This Timeline deviates from what many Legend of Zelda fans consider to be canon – and with full knowledge and purpose: Shadsie and Sailor_Lilithchan wished to make multiple games references and to pay general homage to the many games without worrying too much about what other fans seem to think is set in stone for the continuity of the game series. It made the best sense for the story we wanted to tell to have a Linear Timeline with its own specific quirks. In other words, _The Great Desert_ takes place in something of an alternate universe, anyway, so a sense of fun and a desire to tell a good story trumped all other concerns.

Shadsie thought it might be useful to compose the Timeline she had in mind while writing the story. In this way, those who have read the story and those who wish to re-read it may, perhaps, better understand the references peppered throughout. Also detailed in this are bits of the story that came up in the original role-played rough draft of TGD and were otherwise in-mind, but were not put into the body text.

Spoilers for multiple games abound, as they do in the fan fiction's body text.

_**General Notation for the History:**__ Every incarnation of Link has died young. Most incarnations of Zelda have died old. Ganondorf/Ganon, never is truly killed in the same sense as Link and Zelda suffer, but merely "sealed." He occasionally comes back to the realms of the living under his own Power, but usually comes back through the blood sacrifice of someone from either Link or Zelda's hereditary line. Additionally, Link and Zelda through the ages are old souls – essentially the same base people – reincarnated in the Goddesses' Game. When danger comes upon the land, Zelda often regains memories of past lifetimes while such things do not come to Link easily, and in some lives, not at all. All of the past selves that Link encounters in TGD are essentially memories awakening within him, advice from "who he used to be." _

* * *

ERAS **AS THEY RELATE** TO THE HISTORY OF HYRULE IN **THE GREAT DESERT**

* * *

**FIRST DEFINITIVE ERA: The Era of the Hero of Time**

_Game(s) Subtitle(s): Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask_

This is the story that everyone in Hyrule knows, even to the very day events recorded in _The Great Desert_ begin. The story of the Hero of Time is the best preserved record of any of Hyrule's great cataclysms. The Hero of Time is thought to be the first of the sacred Heroes of the world. Even the events of the Great Moon Cataclysm in Termina have been remarkably well-preserved. (In fact, the story of "the parallel universe, the time traveling boy, and the falling moon" is cited as the favorite childhood bedtime story of TGD's Link of the desert).

Whether the events of the Hero of Time's first adventure in the defeat of the Demon King were undone by his traveling back in time to become a child again and were merely recorded by knowledgeable people in the Royal Family or if they actually occurred in repeat is a mystery. It is thought that Time folded in upon itself and that the events actually repeated themselves. The young Hero of Time may have, in fact, left Hyrule for a while not only to search for a lost friend but to avoid running into himself and creating a dangerous temporal paradox. Some of Hyrule's foremost scholars hold that, in regards to Time and time-travel, that some events "must always happen."

In _The Great Desert_, The Hero of Time visited the modern Link in the form of a child. This was because Link, at the time, needed the wisdom of a child and needed to be reminded to take life with a little fun. He learned some essential skills in dodging. Later on, when the ghost of Veran visits him and Navi in the fever state he suffered from an infected wound, she hints that the Hero of Time married the farmer, Malon and died in an unspecified war. The cousin of Link of TGD is named after this ancient rancher. Late on in the story, Mido of Mido Town mentions that the Hero of Time "bought it on some battlefield somewhere."

_**That Which Was Left Unspoken:**_ In the original role play / rough draft of TGD, a shocking mention was made regarding relationships between the principal characters. The Link and Zelda of TGD's version of the Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask era truly did love each other, but could not be together on Zelda's decision. According to her (in the role play version), when Ganondorf held her prisoner, he had his way with her. She could never overcome the memories of this trauma and refused Link marriage because she could never fully give her heart to him as she felt he deserved of a woman. Link confided his heartbreak and guilt in his friend, Malon, and the two eventually fell in love, married, and had children. The Royal Line was continued through one of Zelda's cousins, to no ill effect to the reincarnation cycle. Link remained loyal to the Court as a knight.

* * *

**SECOND DEFINITIVE ERA:** **The Era of the Twilight Crisis **

_Game Subtitle: Twilight Princess_

The tale of the "Hero who was also a wolf" has not weathered the years quite as well as the tale of the Hero of Time. There have been times when this Hero has been completely forgotten, but, at some point, via archeological finds, the rediscovery of old books that survived the Flood, and the oral traditions of the few Twili that have had contact with Hyrule, his story was rediscovered. Link of the desert knows it well, in fact, as it is one of the foremost stories he grew up with.

It is said that the Hero of Twilight's story is particularly tragic. Some believe that he fell in love with the partner he worked with in his quest, the ruler of the Twilight Realm, who left him to protect both her world and his. For like Termina, the Twilight Realm was a strange rift-dimension, and, additionally, a cursed place inhabited by the descendants of exiled cosmic criminals.

As for the Hero, it is written that he formed a close friendship with the then Queen Zelda of Hyrule. They married and produced one son. After this, the Hero of Twilight was killed by a skilled archer while on a royal mission to take care of a band of monster-brigands that had been waylaying innocent travelers.

Many years after this, the Borderlands Portal opened up to the Twilight Realm – it is thought to be a natural rift, not subject to any magical control on either side. After this rift was opened, a small number of Twili crossed over and developed relations and treaties with Hyrule's Royal Family. The Twili never stay long in the realm of Light, preferring to act as emissaries and dignitaries upon limited stay. Because of this, Twili are generally seen as rare, elegant creatures that are always on important business. Because the magic and technology in their world is different than what is present in the kingdoms of Light, Twili dignitaries are said to fall prey to being stuck-up.

The Royal Line of Hyrule was continued through the daughter Queen Zelda produced from a second marriage. Her son via the Hero of Twilight preferred a simple life and left the throne to his younger half-sister. He remained an honored noble in the countryside, but it is thought that his line eventually became peasant-class.

* * *

**FLOATING ERA: Hyrule's Neighbors in Crisis – Destruction, Sorrow and Despair**

_Game(s) Subtitle(s): Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages_

_It is not known, definitively, when this era of world history occurred. It can be placed almost anywhere between the era of the Hero of Time and the era of the Great Flood. _

At some point in world history, two kingdoms bordering Hyrule fell into destruction and sorrow and had need of a sacred Hero. A young traveler answered the call and became the Hero of the Essences of Time and Nature. He traveled through Holodrum and Labrynna and was given charge over the seasons in one land. In the other, he was given a sacred harp which allowed him access to a time a few centuries in the past from the time in which he lived. Since the boy only time-traveled within a foreign land, he did not encounter any of his previous incarnations in living form. The dark powers that sought the destruction of these two kingdoms ultimately sought the resurrection of the Demon King, Ganon, and power over Hyrule. The Hero defeated all of these great evils successfully and left upon a journey across the sea.

Some tellers of the legends think that he is one and the same as another Hero, the Hero of Dreams, but learned scholars of the Desert Era claim that he is not. It is most likely that he was merely a little-known Hero. What is known is that he easily befriended animals. What is not known is whom he had progeny with or how he died.

_**The Authorial Take:**_ The Link of _Oracle of Seasons_ and _Oracle of Ages_ appeared to Link of _The Great Desert_ to give him some advice upon accepting the cycles of nature. He presented himself as wise and serene, traits gained from being very in touch with nature. He did not appear in the original rough draft / role play, but Shadsie thought he'd be appropriate to include in the final story. Some _Legend of Zelda_ fans think that this Link is the same as the Link from _A Link to the Past_. Both Shadsie and Sailor_Lilithchan sharply disagree with this theory and hold that he is a separate Link. He is presented as a separate Link in _The Great Desert_.

* * *

**THIRD DEFINITIVE ERA: The Era of Dreams and Nightmares**

_Game(s) Subtitle(s): A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening_

This is a quirky time in history when the Triforce of the Gods was united as a whole and almost fell under the dark wishes of Ganon. The Demon King, having been sealed in an alternate realm began to exert his sheer force of will over it. People seeking the Triforce for their own gain or even for noble reasons disappeared into this realm and could not find their way back to Hyrule and the world of Light. It is known that the Dark World, as it came to be called, is distinct from the Twilight Realm and Termina. In the Dark World, the truest nature of a person's soul was made manifest, twisting their form.

The Demon King was able to exert his influence beyond the Dark World into Hyrule and was able to engineer Court intrigue and a coup against the Royal Family of Hyrule. This prompted the awakening of a young Hero, a teenaged boy who belonged to the last surviving house of the ancient Hylian Knights. He fought evil in both the Light and Dark Worlds and restored the balance of the land.

Some say that he obtained the Triforce in full balance, but this is not known for sure.

This Hero left for a journey across the sea to visit many lands, wishing to gain wisdom and skills should Ganon ever somehow return in his lifetime. For many years in the historical record, he was thought to have been lost in a shipwreck. His name was heard in the small kingdom of Calatia where he'd settled and married a merchant's daughter. The Royal Family of Hyrule was relieved at the news that he'd survived, but refrained from calling him back to the kingdom as he was happy with his new life and family. It is known that he died somewhat young, but it is not known how.

* * *

**FOURTH DEFINITIVE ERA: The Era of Loss or the Broken Era **

_This is a non-canon era, not present in any actual Legend of Zelda game. The Link and the circumstances of this era were made up specifically for The Great Desert. _

Good has no guarantee of triumphing over evil always. A Hero can fail and this is what happened in this era.

The Lost One was a resident of Calatia and a descendant of the last Hero of Hyrule who'd settled there. During his time, people married and began having children very young, in their teenage years, and were generally expected to be prolific during their lives. The Lost One was no different than the other members of his community and, accordingly, is thought to have married around the tender age of fourteen or fifteen and had children by the time he was seventeen. Trouble began brewing in the important neighboring kingdom of Hyrule with rumors of the Demon King upon the wind, in his full power and ancient form. This is when the Lost One was confronted by a small black cat that spoke to him and told him of the important destiny she sensed in him.

The cat was a Sage, the Sage Kasuto, who was cursed by a powerful minion of the Demon King into her animal form. It is not known, precisely, what Kasuto was a Sage of, but the two most likely elements are Night or Death. While those sound quite evil, they are quite necessary and even good – for it is commonly known that any Sage of Death's duty, for example, would be to comfort and ease souls into the Afterlife / Eternity. Whatever powers she previously had as a Sage, Kasuto lacked them in her cursed form.

The Lost One Link did not want to take up his destiny, as he had a wife and young twin sons to look after. He left his small village with great reluctance once it became clear that to let Hyrule fall to Ganondorf was to let Calatia fall, as well. At this time, Princess Zelda of Hyrule, who was held by Ganondorf, was only a small child, not much older than Link's sons. This probably also played a role in his acceptance of heroic destiny.

The Lost one pushed himself very hard, going for days on end without eating or sleeping. He neglected proper treatment of wounds he incurred in battle. As a result, when he made his final push against Ganondorf, he was in poor condition. Ganondorf slew him and had his body laid out upon a slab in the square of Hyrule's Castle Town so that all citizens could see that their Hero was dead and he was in control.

Kasuto managed to rally the aid of Hylian patriots to spirit away the body of the Lost One to his home village for proper burial rites. Ganondorf, sometimes in the guise of his bestial form, Ganon, ruled Hyrule and most parts of the greater world for a good century. Many things were lost in this era, including many records of the Heroes and the Royal Family that were only rediscovered much later. A great deal of Hyrulean technology and culture were lost during this time, as well. It is said that this is the era in which the Triforce of Courage was lost – which was appropriate since the common people lost their courage, as well. To those who are aware that this era happened, it serves as a warning and a cause of great fear.

The Heroic Line was continued through one of the Lost One's sons. Young Princess Zelda was killed soon after the Hero was slain, so the Royal Line was continued through the survivors of the Royal Family in hiding.

* * *

**FIFTH DEFINITIVE ERA: The Era of Fragmentation**

_Game(s) Subtitle(s): The Legend of Zelda (Classic) and The Adventure of Link_

This is perhaps the most confusing era in Hyrule's history, as of the time of _The Great Desert. _It as been a legend largely lost in detail due to the Great Flood. After the Demon King solidified his power during the Lost One's era, it is thought that he concentrated most of his energies in the south of Hyrule. Many people from Hyrule began building their own government in the north, in a land peppered by many ancient palaces belonging to the pasts of lost and nearly extinct races. During this era, most of the Zora race had been overcome by evil, becoming the fierce-tempered Zola. The Gorons hid in the mountains – it is said that they hid so well that they became indistinguishable from the stones themselves. The Gerudo had long left the land for the deserts of other kingdoms. Humans were rare, but present, and the Hylian race was dwindling. Truly, the land, the south especially, had become a monsters' country.

There is some debate over the true Sacred Princess of this era. It is written in some accounts that the southlands of Hyrule had their own faction of the Royal Family and their own Princess Zelda while the people of the northlands revered an ancient princess (so-called Zelda the First), who was a person from the distant past. She had been made subject to a sleeping spell. Some accounts have these two princesses as being one and the same – such records hold that once Princess Zelda of the south had been rescued from her captivity by the Hero, that the Demon King himself placed the sleeping spell upon her in his death-throes. The truth of this matter is not really known in the Desert Era.

In any case, a Hero is known to have come out of the nation of Calatia, the descendant of one of the Lost One's sons. The princess of the south, entrusted with the Triforce of Wisdom, was found out and captured by Ganon. She shattered the Triforce of Wisdom to keep it out of his hands. The Hero gathered and reunited the Triforce of Wisdom and defeated the Great Demon, or so he thought. Sometime after this, he went on a journey through the northern portion of Hyrule and rediscovered the lost Triforce of Courage.

The most reliable texts have the monsters in all of Hyrule at this time as being especially strong and a mention of Ganon's return. These accounts show the Hero being captured by the Demon King's remaining minions and having his blood spilled over the Evil One's ashes. The Hero survived this, surprisingly, but enough of his blood was liberated to bring Ganon back in a twisted half-form. The Hero spent many years fighting against him until he eventually triumphed a second time.

He married Princess Zelda, but it is not known for sure which one (the princess of the north or the princess of the south, or if only one existed). When she ascended to the throne as Queen, he ascended as the Hero-King. Some stories have painted him as a bit of a flirt, but there is no evidence that he was ever unfaithful to Queen Zelda. The Queen and the Hero-King had at least five children and the Hero-King is thought to have been the longest lived of the Heroes.

After a time, a terrible epidemic spread throughout the land of Hyrule. Measures were taken to keep it from spreading to other kingdoms. Roughly a third of all the kingdom of Hyrule died, despite the Royal Family's best efforts to help the people. The Hero-King caught sick from the disease and perished.

_**The Authorial Take:**_ Shadsie had in mind when she wrote parts of _The Great Desert_ that had to deal with these two classic games not only the canon games, but also the non-canon comic series from Valiant – which had some elements that contradict the canon games and game manuals. She has tried to incorporate a mix of both histories here, but purposefully leaves much up to the reader to decide – hence the "garbled legend."

* * *

**INTERMEDIATE HISTORY**

It is to be noted that in the era of the Hero-King of Hyrule, the people spoke of many legends. At this time, many people accepted their Hero as a reincarnation of all the great Heroes of the Past. For this reason, "Hero of Time" became the common title, taking the title of very first known Hero. In any case, much time passed and most of the details of various periods of history were lost. The Legend of the Hero of Time, though it was the first of the legends, strangely became the best known. Many other legends, such as that of the Hero of Twilight or the Hero of Time and Nature were forgotten and had to be re-discovered later. Monuments were made to the Hero of Time and it was for him the people of Hyrule and its neighbors cried out during a time of bleakness…

* * *

**SIXTH DEFINITIVE ERA: The Era of the Great Flood**

_Game(s) Subtitle(s): The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass_

The Demon King entered the mortal world again and began to spread despair across the land. The people cried out for a Hero, but he did not appear. The Goddesses responded by sending a flood to quell the ancient Demon and bid the people to flee to the tops of the mountains, which became islands in a great archipelago. They restarted life in the new island nation and forgot the kingdom of their ancestors save in legend and song.

Rumor spread upon the wind that the Demon King, too, had survived. Many disasters came upon the islands and a young boy – one who had just come of age, stood up against him. He also is recorded as being the one to find the once-again lost Triforce of Courage. This Hero has become known as the Hero of Winds. It is said that he gained the power to control the wind and that he was a free spirit, preferring to travel with pirates to establishing solid order, though it is said that one of the pirates he traveled with was the royal heir to the ancient kingdom. Some texts refer to him as the "Outlaw Hero." Records of his later life are sketchy, as he did travel the seas freely. He is thought to have had many descendants and it is thought that he was lost in a shipwreck.

Sometime after the Great Flood, the waters receded, leaving vast areas of sand. Initially, green sprang up in the land upon muddy and stony mountains. Surely, it looked as though the ancient kingdom of Hyrule was being restored to its former glory. Then, the waters in even the rivers, streams and the oceans that had existed prior to the Great Flood began receding. Incrementally, the land began drying up…

_**What the People of Hyrule Do Not Know:**_ Those few beings privileged to know the Three Goddesses in their true nature know that the Great Flood was no act of divine will to save the people – on the contrary, it was a terraforming experiment preformed by Din and Nayru that had gone wrong and had gotten out of their control. The specifics of this experiment are something they do not share, as the mistake was one of their greatest blunders. They think it best that the people of Hyrule and the rest of the world do not know what really caused the Great Flood.

* * *

**A NOTE ON SPIRIT TRACKS: The Era of the Rails **

At the time that _The Great Desert_ was being conceived and written, _The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks_ had not come out. It was more or less a rumor and all that was known about the title was that "Link drives a train." It is given a minor reference, as steam locomotives fit into a wild west theme (such as TGD has) like a hand into a glove. The Link of TGD has no formal meeting with the memory of Link from Spirit Tracks because not much was known about the game at the time the story was written. It is to be assumed that ST Link is among the Heroes that TGD Link did not need specific advice from in his quest.

Train technology in The Great Desert is thought to have come from "another land," something that was imported into the remnants of old Hyrule after the Flood waters receded, so it is entirely possible that a new land on higher ground was discovered sometime during or after the Great Flood era and the technology originally developed there. There was a "rail boom" in old Hyrule for a while, but in many areas, it died off in favor of other forms if transportation due to a lack of coal resources. Trains survive as a major means of transport only between areas where there is an abundance of coal.

* * *

**SEVENTH DEFINITIVE ERA: The Desert Era / The Era of the Great Desert**

This is the era of the main fan fiction story. The land of Hyrule began drying up and the desert began spreading even to neighboring kingdoms on Hyrule's boarders. The unforgiving sands even began invading the outer dimensional worlds, such as the Twilight Realm. While, geologically, many deserts were once seas, this was no mere overcorrection of the Great Flood or rapid evolution of the land – what began as a restoration of the land became an imbalance in the cosmic powers, particularly in the desert element of the Triforce of Power. Gerudo tribes returned to the newly opened desert lands while the remnants of the Zora more or less went extinct (some where saved due to the quick thinking of the Goddesses). Other races scraped to eek out a living. Human populations rose while the Hylian sub-race dropped in numbers.

Many new technologies were developed or rediscovered during the drying period, not limited to electricity and television. Perhaps the most controversial technological development was firearms. Although a few people kept the arts of swordsmanship and archery alive, most soldiers, law enforcement officers and ranchers protecting their lands took up guns. As the era progressed, swords, while not unseen, became archaic and a sign of someone living in the deep past.

Faith dwindled during this era. Even belief in the Goddesses was beginning to become an anachronism, but far more people held to them than to belief in the old ways of practical magic. Faeries became fairy tales. The old Hero legends were thought, for the most part, to be highly exaggerated stories. The Hero of this era had to overcome much of his own disbelief in order to progress. Very few people besides members of the Royal Family knew or kept to the old ways, and even then, were not public about them for fear of losing the good faith of an increasingly pragmatic populace.

_The Hero shall rise with the Blade, the Gun and the Courage in his Heart… _So begins the story.

_**Authorial Tidbits Regarding Sheik:**_Sheik appears as a character in TGD, the alter-ego of Princess Zelda much as she did in the Ocarina of Time era. In both the original role play, Sheik had blond hair despite the fact that TGD's Zelda had black hair. Shadsie never imagined a particular costume for her, though Sailor_Lilithchan envisions her as being much like a Leji Matsumoto character (if you are familiar with that name and the anime titles he created).

Sheik in TGD, though androgynous in looks, is adamant about being female. This decision, believe it or not, was not an attempt to annoy the yaoi/slash "Shink" fans, nor those who like to envision Sheik as a separate, male person. Part of Sheik's female gender in TGD is due to how she was played in the original role play and most of it comes from a comment that Shadsie saw on a fan board somewhere along the lines of "Of course Sheik is male because Zelda can't do anything without a dick." Shadsie, being a somewhat tough female, was **enormously **offended and wanted to do the fan fiction equivalent of flipping people like the one that made the comment off. Because of that one comment, Shadsie will probably **never **write Sheik as anything other than female in **any **of her Legend of Zelda or Super Smash fan fictions.

* * *

**OTHER ERAS OF HISTORY **

Some games of the Legend of Zelda series have gone un-mentioned for this story, such as _The Minnish Cap_ and the _Four Swords_ series. This is because at least one of the authors hasn't played these games and because we did not know quite how to fit mentions of these eras into _The Great Desert_ history. These are to be considered Floating Eras – placeable at any point in the Timeline. The Link of TGD did not formally encounter any of the Hero-incarnations of these eras because, presumably, he did not need their specific advice. These same rules apply to any new Legend of Zelda game set to come out in the future/post date of TGD unless the authors decide for some reason to edit it/them into the story. The original TGD story was finished in mid-summer of 2009, while this Timeline was created in January of 2010.

* * *

**GUIDE TO THE HERO-INCARNATIONS **

_These are the resurfacing memories of the Heroes that Link of The Great Desert has been in the past. These are the spirits of the Heroes as he encounters them. They always approach him first in the form of an animal. The animal reflects the personality of each incarnation before revealing their Hylian form. It is thought that the Hero of Tides (Link of TGD) best understands animals; therefore, his past incarnations came to him as such to ease him into their lessons. _

Here is each Hero-incarnation in the order that they appear to the living Link, and lastly, himself:

**Wolf – Hero of Twilight – Link of Twilight Princess **

The Hero of Twilight appears first in the form he took as the Sacred Beast of the Twilight that he held when he lived and did his quest. He approached Link rather harshly, attacking him and knocking him off his horse. He then appeared as a young man with a sword. His lesson was an introduction to the spirit world of the past Heroes and also a lesson in basic swordsmanship. He knew nothing of the gun.

**Golden Wolf Pup – Hero of Time – Link of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask**

The Hero of Time appeared first as a golden wolf, a throwback to when he gave lessons to the Hero of Twilight in ancient times. This time, however, he appeared as a whelp or pup, small and friendly. In his Hylian form, he presented himself to the living Link as a child – the age he was when he'd first been called to his quest. He cautioned Link not to underestimate the power of the young and gave him a playful lesson in dodging attacks. According to the Hero of Time, the "wisdom of a child" was needed here.

**Bear – Hero of Nature – Link of the Oracles Series**

His proper title was The Hero of the Essences of Time and Nature, but he preferred to call himself the Hero of Nature. He first appeared as a large blue grizzly bear coming down off a mountainside. When in his Hylian form, he informed the living Link that the bear form was taken to honor an old friend. He appeared as a teenaged boy in a meditative pose. He carried a warning and a hard lesson about the indifferent cycles of nature.

**Black Cat – The Lost One – Original "Broken Link" in the Chain**

The Hero who failed appeared in the form of a very sickly black cat. This is because the partner he had failed to save in his quest had been cursed into a feline form. The sickly appearance of his animal form was a reflection of his general state at the end of his quest. In his Hylian form, he appeared to the living Link as he was just after he had died – gaunt, ill, and with a fatal wound in his chest. He warned Link to take care of himself, to rest, and to allow his friends to help him lest he become a forlorn failure like him.

**Rabbit – The Hero of Dreams – Link of A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening**

The "Rabbit" actually appeared as a hare – a desert jackrabbit. The lapin form reflected the involuntary state the Hero fell into when he first fell into the Dark World upon his quest. His soul held the timid kindness of a rabbit; therefore, his body was twisted into that of a pink-furred bunny. In his Hylian form, he named himself the Hero of Dreams for lack of a significant formal title in his lifetime and spoke of worlds of dreams and nightmares. He taught the living Link a magical skill to see what is hidden (essentially the same as the Lens of Truth in Ocarina of Time or the wolf-senses in Twilight Princess).

**Cardinal – The Hero-King of Hyrule – Link of The Legend of Zelda/Hyrule Fantasy and The Adventure of Link **

The Cardinal appeared to Link when he was going through a very dark time. The bird hopped about cheerfully in an attempt to lift his spirits. When this Hero revealed himself, he showed himself to be a chipper young man with reddish hair. He presented himself as a king, but also as one who was much more comfortable in his adventuring clothes than in royal finery. His practical lesson was in magic, how to guide it, not to fear it and certain spells.

**Seagull – The Hero of Winds – Link of The Wind Waker **

The Seagull only appeared to Link after his quest was done. He appeared as a young boy in bright island clothes. He had nothing to give Link for his quest, but, instead, gave him encouragement to help Zelda rule the newly-restored kingdom.

***

**Coyote – The Hero of Tides – Link of The Great Desert **

When Midna returned to Hyrule, she carried with her an item she thought may be of use – the shadow crystal that she'd used to shift the Hero of Twilight's form in ancient times. On a whim, she tries it on TGD's Link, thinking that he would become a wolf like his predecessor did. Instead, he became a coyote. This is a reflection of his tough and cunning nature and the reflection of him having been raised in the desert. He bears the title "Hero of Tides" because he was the one destined to "bring back the tides" to the dry, ocean-less land. This title was the idea of Sailor_Lilithchan as Shadsie was originally going to go with the less creative title of "Hero of the Desert."


End file.
